Kingdom Hearts
by HiddenXEmotion
Summary: The Time has come. It has been nearly ten years since the disappearance of Terra, Bailey, and the others, and the darkness has only spread. Growing up, Kiera has been training for the chance to find her sister and her mother but now, with the arrival of Sora, it may have come a bit too soon. Will they be able to defeat the darkness and save their loved ones?
1. Opening and Characters

**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(**

 _ **Opening and Characters**_

 _ **Thinking of you, wherever you are.**_

 _ **We Pray for our Sorrows to end,**_

 _ **And Hope that our Hearts will blend.**_

 _ **Now I will step forward to realize this wish.**_

 _ **And Who knows:**_

 _ **Starting a new journey may not be so hard.**_

 _ **Or Maybe it has already begun.**_

 _ **There are many worlds,**_

 _ **But they share the same Sky-**_

 _ **One Sky, One Destiny.**_

 **Sora**

" _I've been having these weird thoughts lately…like, is any of this for real…or not?_

Age: 14

Height: 5'6'

Weapon: Keyblade

 **A young boy with a caring heart who would do anything for his friends.**

A spirited youth. He was cast into an unknown world when a swarm of Heartless raided his island. He battles the Heartless with a mysterious weapon called the Keyblade as he searches for his friends Kairi and Riku.

 **Riku**

" _I'm not afraid of the darkness!"_

Age: 15

Height: 5'8'

Weapon: Soul Eater

 **Cool and collected, this confident boy strives to be the best at everything.**

He and his best friends, Sora and Kairi, live on the Destiny Islands. The three spend their days constructing a raft and gathering supplies, so that they might one day set out and search for other worlds. He and Sora share a fierce but good natured rivalry, competing over who is stronger in battle, among other things.

 **Kairi**

" _Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you."_

Age: 14

Height: 5'4'

Weapon: N/O

 **A young, happy girl with no memories of her younger days.**

Islander. Kairi, Sora, and Riku were best friends. They built a raft to sail out and see new worlds. The three were separated when a mysterious force struck the Destiny Islands. Thus did Sora's search for Kairi begin.

 **Keira**

" _Crying will get you nowhere."_

Age: 14

Height: 5'5'

Weapon: Keyblade

 **A young girl set on becoming strong.**

The Princess of a lost Kingdom, Keira's world fell apart at a young age when her caretaker disappeared from her life. Vowing to become strong enough to find Bailey, she has been training to one day find her answers.

 **Alana**

" _You can't succeed if you don't try."_

Age: 15

Height: 5'7'

Weapon: Magic Sword

 **An adorable teen with uncountable personalities.**

Having been friends with Kiera her entire life, she too suffered great loss when her sister, Selia, disappeared. Keeping secret the mission she was left with, she has watched over Kiera constantly, one day waiting for everything to return to normal.

 **Geoffrey**

" _You have to have faith. Always have faith."_

Age: 16

Height: 5'10'

Weapon: Lance

 **A teen with a high sense of duty and honor.**

A Knight to the very core, Geoffrey has held his teacher's words close to his heart for the last ten years, living by them. Another old friend of Kiera's, he had vowed to protect her and her sister for as long as he could. After the disappearance of the other princess, the guilt weighs heavily on his heart.

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	2. Chapter 1

**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(**

 _ **Chapter One**_

 _ **A Letter**_

" **That's enough training for the day."**

"But I can continue!"

"Squall's right, Keira. You'll wear yourself out. Don't you have a date tonight?"

"It's not a date, Lucia!" The girl's face grew red. "Alana, Geoffrey, and I are just hanging out!"

"Okay, so it's a three way," Lucia shook her head. "That lucky punk."

Kiera hung her head. "How can you deal with her, Leon?"

The man shook his head. "Sometimes even I don't know."

At 25, he was 5'9' in height with long brown hair and eyes blue was a scar ran diagonally across the bridge of his nose. Dressed her to foot in black from his gloves to his shoes, he wore a white undershirt and short-sleeved jacket. With four belts around his hips, there was no doubt that he carried the term badass.

Leon and Lucia had been officially together for about four years now and Lucia was truly one of the few that could break into the man's guarded heart. Kiera remembered the days when he wanted nothing more than to be alone; now he was barely seen without Lucia.

"So, what are the plans tonight?" Lucia asked.

Lucia Sirea was about 24, 5'7' in height, with short, pale brown hair and sea green eyes. In black jeans, flat boots, and a white tank top, she wore a short-sleeved leather jacket with Leon's Griever necklace; she wore a silver band on her left hand that matched the one the man beside her wore on under his glove.

"Oh, nothing much. Probably just hanging at Geoffrey's place or maybe Cid and Renee's."

"Good; you can help paint the baby's room." Lucia grinned. "I know that Yuffie and the twins are."

"Keiran? Painting? This I have to see!"

As the twins the woman was referring to, Keiran and Rayna had been Lucia's friends since the beginning. Keiran was…loud while his sister was a bit more restrained with her personality; she was also the prime example of a bookworm.

Leon shook his head and held the gate open for them.

Kiera was 14 with long auburn hair separated in five ties on the top of her head with crystal blue eyes. In black short, she wore white tennis shoes and a black and grey sleeveless, hooded top that held a black rose.

Kiera lived in an apartment with Leon and Lucia. After the events that brought them here to Traverse Town, the duo had taken it upon themselves to become her guardian; Alana's and Geoffrey's, too. The two of them, older than Keira, had their own split apartment right down the hall but they always ended up in the other apartment during the day. Lucia loved to tease about just getting a bigger apartment and they all live together but Leon put a stop to that instantly, claiming that one brat was enough.

Kiera loved being with Leon and Lucia but she knew that she was a burden to them. They had been stuck taking care of her for over ten years now. She knew that she was holding them back from their own lives. She had already discussed it with Alana and Geoffrey; next month she would be moving in with them and they would get a three bedroom apartment, giving the two older ones a place of their own. It was going to be sort of a present to Leon, seeming as how his birthday was coming up soon.

Surprise, surprise.

She felt strange leaving them, but she shoved those thoughts aside. She had to leave. When she was older she was going to leave Traverse Town anyway, Alana and Geoffrey with her. They were going to go and find everyone. Lucient and Selia and Kairi…they were going to go find them all; especially Bailey.

Alana and Geoffrey were already waiting for them in the hall when they arrived, ready to go.

Alana was 16 with reddish/black hair and blue eyes. In red and white pants rolled up to the knees and a plain, white halter showed off the tattoo on her back with red shoes.

Geoffrey was 18 with blue eyes and dark green hair. Dressed in tight, checkerboard pants, a chain connected to his back pocket, a short sleeved, black top was unzipped, revealing a skin tight white top as a black, knight's chess piece hung on his left ear.

"Leon," Geoffrey greeted the older men.

"Geoffrey," Leon gave him a firm look.

"Don't stay out too late now, you hear?" Lucia teased. "I don't want to have to come search the streets at 2 in the morning because you're not home yet."

"All right, mom," Alana teased, placing an arm around Keira's shoulders. "Don't worry, your little princess will be safe."

Kiera gave a half frown. She didn't like being called a princess; what was she a princess of anymore?

Lucia gave a soft smile, recognizing Kiera's look. "Have fun guys."

Leon watched as Alana led the younger girl away before giving the young man another firm look. "Keep a close eye on her."

He grinned. "We always do."

Alana waited until they were out of earshot before glancing at the girl beside her. "Have you told them yet?"

"About me moving out or about us leaving?"

"Both."

"Of course I haven't," Kiera gave a sigh. "But...I think they already know. At least Luciaa does."

"If she does then so does Leon," Geoffrey commented. "She'll tell him anyhting she knows; especially when it comes to you."

"I know," Kiera gave another sigh. "Alana paused for a moment. "If you want to change your mind and stay here, you always can."

"No! I want to go. I need to go! I'm just...nervous. What if, while searching for them, we get lost too? Like Zack and Zeke and Jeanne did?"

Geoffrey turned and looked at the younger teen. "We won't let that happen."

"That's right," Alana grinned, slinging an arm around Kiera's neck. "That's what we're here for."

"We'll find them," Geoffrey assured her.

"Yeah," She gave a nod. "We'll find them all."

They ended up going out to eat and swung by Cid and Renee's place to laugh at Kieran. Renee had tricked him into helping her paint the baby's room. Kieran talked but but in all reality he was a sweetheart to those he liked. There was no way he was going to let a 7-month pregnant woman paint a nursery alone.

After an hour of jokes the trio went back to the apartments and settled down to watch a movie but Kiera's mind kept wandering.

It had been nine years since they had been forced to leave their home, Radiant Garden. Nine years since Kiera had lost two of the most important people in her life; her mother and her sister. She had never gotten over it but how could you? To experience that at such a young age-

"Are you even watching the movie?"

Kiera gave her friend a smile. "Not really."

Geoffrey paused the movie. "Go get some sleep, Kiera."

The young girl gave a grin. "Sorry, guys."

"No worries," Alana grinned. "We'll just watch it again tomorrow, so no late night reading, you got it?"

She waved a hand as she left the apartment. "Yeah, yeah."

She paused outside the door to the apartment that she shared with Lucia and Leon. She had to be careful, to be quiet when she went inside. Lucia and Leon might already be asleep and she didn't want to disturb them. It was a little hard, seeming as how her door was right across from theirs but she had done it before.

Kiera was soft, taking her shoes off by the door and slowly tiptoeing through the dark hall that she had memorized over the years. She thought about getting something to drink before reaching her room but voices caught her. It was Lucia and Leon, arguing from behind their door. She stopped to listen, though knowing that she shouldn't. Curiosity got the better of her.

"We can't keep this from her, Squall." Lucia told the man.

"Yes we can." Leon grunted.

There was a sigh. "I know how you feel. I understand that it's because she's so young but-"

"That's right; she's still young. She's only 14, Lucia! She can't do anything yet!"

"Don't yell at me, Leonhart." Lucia's voice was cold. Kiera could just imagine the cold glare that the older woman was giving her boyfriend right now. Squall gave a feeble apology. "I know that you don't want to face this. I know that you're worried, we all are. I don't like the thought of sending her out there to do this either, but it has to be done. Bailey gave Kiera her Keyblade for a reason. That reason is here now. We all have a part to play in these events; Keira's solo has arrived. Don't worry, she won't be alone. You and I both know that Alana and Geoffrey will go with her; and the other Keyblade wielder will too."

"I want us to be the ones to go with her," Leon replied. "When we took her in, she became our responsibility."

"I know that, Squall," Lucia sighed. "But this place is also our responsibility too. Kiera won't grow up if we don't let her, you know."

"I know," He fell silent for a moment. "I won't let her leave without the King's men. Until Donald and Goofy arrive, she's not leaving Traverse Town."

Lucia gave a chuckle. "Agreed."

Kiera backed away from the door quietly. Something had happened. She was about to get her chance a lot faster than she had thought. A chance to leave and find Bailey and her sister.

It was time to get ready.

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	3. Chapter 2

**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(**

 **Lucia, Kieran, Rayna, Claire, Melanie, Renee, Zeke, Sienna, and Jeanne are my OC characters from my Final Fantasy stories!**

 _ **Chapter Two**_

 _ **Two Keyblades**_

" **Yeah, Kieran found a few here in town but the others are all spread out across the other worlds."**

"And there's 99 of them?"

"Yes."

Lucia gave a frown. "The poor things must be so scared."

Alana nodded in agreement. It was just the two of them. They were making their way towards the First District to ask Cid to repair the door that connected the First and Third Districts. Alana had emerged from one of the houses in the Second District and explained what had happened. Kieran had opened up his and Rayna's home to a pair of Dalmatians named Pongo and Perdita. Apparently when they lost their world, their 99 puppies were lost as well.

"Where ever they are now, I pray for their safety."

"I'm amazed that Kieran took the animals into his house."

Alana gave a laugh. "I'm sure that Rayna played a hand in that. She loves animals, you know. Hopefully Zell will get along with his new roommates."

Zell was Rayna's pet. An energetic dachshund that followed the woman everywhere. He was very protective of Rayna.

(FYI, if you haven't read my FF8 story, Rayna and Zell are paired together, hence the dog joke :) )

"I'm sure the sausage will do just fine."

Alana gave a huge laugh, having too wipe a tear from her eye. Lucia, Leon, Kieran, and Rayna had been friends since they were born, all of them orphans, and had grown up together. They were already teens by the time that Alana had met them. She would be lying if she didn't say that she was a bit jealous in Lucia having Leon and the twins, but she wouldn't trade Geoffrey for anyone in the world.

"Lucia!"

At the panicked voice calling her name, both women turned to see another teen running towards them.

With short, black hair, she wore a metal headband with two green tassels. With Mid-thigh white socks and mesh sleeves on her arms that disappeared into orange, fingerless gloves with black bands constricting the ends, her arms were full of freshly cleaned paint brushes, announcing that the young woman had just finished her aunt Renee with the rest of her painting.

"What's wrong, Yuffie?" Lucia asked her.

The young ninja had to pause a moment, catching her breath. "It's Leon! He's-he's attacking some kid in front of Cid's shop!"

"What?"

Alana's and Lucia's words were yelled together, both not sure what they had heard was right. Leon attacking a kid?

Lucia's moved first, shoving past the Second District doors and running around the corner of Cid's shop and down the stairs.

"He has a Keyblade, Alana," Yuffie told the other woman.

Alana's eyes widened. "A Keyblade?" The only one in Traverse Town that had a Keyblade was Kiera, and the only one she had ever seen with one before that had been...

Alana took off after Lucia, arriving just in time to see Leon land the finishing blow with his Gunblade, Lucia standing close by with a frown on her face. Moving closer, Alana saw the spiky hair and felt her hopes shoot up.

"Ventus?" She took a few steps closer and got a better look at the one on the ground. Her heart dropped. "No, not Ventus..."

For a moment there, she had been hoping that maybe, just maybe, Selia...

Lucia, recognizing the name, spoke up. "Well, both keys are here now, Squall. You can't hide it anymore."

The man sighed. "I guess not. Alana, go get Kiera and Geoffrey. It'll be easier to explain it all at once."

Alana nodded and ran off immediately. Lucia took Leon's Gunblade and let the man pick up the young teen. She took a closer look at him.

He was no older that Kiera with spiky, dark brown hair and deep blues eyes that she had seen before Leon knocked him out. With tanned skin and a lanky build, he was dressed in a red shirt, red pants, and a white and blue jacket covered by key chains and around his neck as a pair of yellow shoes sat on his feet.

"It looks like things are worse than we thought," Leon pulled Lucia from her thoughts as he faced her again. "Alot worse."

 _ **~You're giving me**_

 _ **Too many things lately**_

 _ **You're all I need**_

 _ **You smiled at me**_

 _ **And Said~**_

" ** _Come on Lazy Bum._** Wake up."

Kiera wore a frown on her face as she stared at the boy sleeping on her bed. She had been just waking up when Leon and Lucia barged with this the boy in their arms; and another Keyblade. Ever since the disappearance of Bailey and the others, and the destruction of Radiant Garden, she had only seen one Keyblade; hers. Which meant this boy had to have some kind of connection to Bailey and the other Keyblade wielders. Had he seen them? Been in contact with them? She needed to know!

She stood in the room with Lucia and Leon, Alana and Geoffrey were close to the door as Yuffie was the one poking at the boy, trying to wake him up. It worked; he sat up.

Yuffie gave him a smile. "You okay."

The boy nodded timidly, careful as he placed his feet on the floor. "I guess."

"Those creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade." Leon had mentioned something about the Heartless showing up again. Kiera felt that she was getting sloppy. "But it's your heart they really want. Because you wield the Keyblade."

The boy grinned. "I'm so glad that you're okay, Kairi."

The room froze. Kiera's gaze went harsher as she stared at the boy on the bed. Leon kept an eye on her as Lucia gave a silent sigh; Alana nor Geoffrey moved.

"Kairi? Who are you talking about? I'm the great ninja Yuffie."

"Huh?"

Yuffie turned to look at the oldest in the room. "You might have overdone it, Squall."

"That's Leon," The man replied. The only one that he didn't mind calling him Squall was Lucia.

The boy turned his head, taking in all of them before he paused at Kiera. She...she looked like Kairi but there was something different about her. Her hair was longer and her anger...it was much more apparent. He had to try anyway.

"Kairi?"

"Kairi?" Geoffrey went to speak but Kiera cut him off.

"The name's Kiera, now tell me why you have a Keyblade."

He glanced away from her, finding his Keyblade propped against the wall by Leon. "The Keyblade..."

"Yeah," Yuffie began to explain again. "We had to get it away from you to shake off those creatures. It turns out, that's how they were tracking you."

Leon crossed his arms. "It was the only way to conceal your heart from them. But it won't work for very long. Still, it's hard to believe that you are one of the Chosen ones."

Chosen ones. This must have been what Leon and Lucia had been talking about last night. Leon picked up the Keyblade, but it only disappeared and reappeared into the boy's hands. "Well, I suppose beggars can't be choosers.

"Why don't you start making sense! What's going on here?" The boy demanded.

Lucia took a breath and began to explain. "Considering that you're not from around here, you from another world, right? Well, there's a lot more than just a few. There's a lot. Normally they're on their own but now they're connected; thanks to the Heartless."

"Heartless?"

"The ones that attacked you, remember?" Yuffie smiled. She had take a seat beside him on Kiera's bed.

"Those without hearts." Leon answered.

"The Darkness in people's hearts. That's what attracts them."

"And there is Darkness within every heart." Leon looked at Kiera, who smiled at him, and then closed his eyes again.

"Hey," Yuffie turned to him again. "Have you heard of someone named Ansem?"

Kiera gave a frown at her uncle's name. He had been studying the Heartless before their word was overrun. It...it was his fault.

"So this weapon...it's the key?" The boy asked.

"Exactly." Yuffie nodded.

"The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade. That's why they'll keep coming after you, no matter what."

"Well, I didn't ask for any of this."

"The Keyblades choose their masters, and one of them chose you." Yuffie told him.

"So, tough luck." Leon told him as he leaned against the door.

"Just look at it this way," Alana gave a smile, finally deciding to speak. "At least you won't be alone."

He looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Kiera gave a sigh before holding her hand out. His eyes went wide as another Keyblade, similar to his own, appeared in the other teens hands. "You have one, too."

"Which means you better start learning my name," Kiera growled. Alana gave her a nudge and she frowned again, making the Keyblade disappear.

"How did all of this happen? I remember being in my room…" He gasped and jumped up. "Wait a minute! What happened to my home? My Island? Riku! Kairi!"

"You know what?" Leon's eyes were closed. "I really don't know."

"Yeah, well, just prepare yourself." Yuffie told him.

"Sooner or later," Leon began to warn him. "The Heartless will find you. You'd best prepare yourself."

"Prepare myself?"

"To fight for your life. Are you ready?"

"What's your name?" Alana asked him.

"Uh, Sora."

"Well, Sora, sorry you had to have this drop on your shoulders like this," She smiled. "I know it's gotta suck."

The boy sighed and glanced at Kiera again. "These Heartless, do they follow you, too?"

"Of course they do," Kiera answered him. "But I can fight them off. I've been training to do so."

"Perhaps...you can give me a few pointers?" He sounded hopeful.

She couldn't help but crack a smile. "I suppose I'll have to, won't I?" She had been hoping that the boy had been training to be a Keyblade Master under one of the others she had once met but it seemed that this was not the case. He was just a boy that the Keyblade had chosen. But why him? Her head was full of questions right now; and answers were nowhere in sight.

"Aerith has the King's men, don't they?" Lucia looked at Squall.

"She should have found them by now, yes," Leon stood up. "We can continue this talk when we meet up with them."

"Leon!" Yuffie pointed to the corner of the room as an armored heartless appeared on Kiera's table.

"Yuffie, Lucia, go!" Leon ordered, and she ran out the door, swinging it open.

"Sora," Leon yelled as he pulled out his Gunblade once more. "Let's go."

Geoffrey had already moved, using a kick to send the Heartless flying out the window. Alana gave a laugh.

"I'll go grab the King's men. Keep Kiera safe, Geoffrey."

"I don't need it with these small fry," Kiera moved after Leon and Sora as they followed the Heartless out into the back ways.

"Of course not." Alana gave Geoffrey a wink before she was out the door.

Shaking his head, the young man followed the trio out of the window, unsure of just how exactly all of this was going to play out.

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	4. Chapter 3

**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(**

 **Lucia, Kieran, Rayna, Claire, Melanie, Renee, Zeke, Sienna, and Jeanne are my OC characters from my Final Fantasy stories!**

 _ **Chapter Three**_

 _ **Choices**_

" **Wait a moment, Sora,"**

The young boy stopped moving after Leon and glanced back at Kiera and Geoffrey. Leon had said to forget about the small fr and to find their leader but the duo behind him apparently wanted to talk more.

"Leon and the others can handle themselves," Kiera began. "Tell me more about this girl."

"Kairi?" He placed a hand on his chin. "She's a girl that I met about ten years go. She just appeared one night during a storm and the mayor took her in. Any memories of where she came from were gone, next to her name. Riku and I quickly became friends with her and decided we were going to leave our world and try to find her home. We were to leave tomorrow but a storm hit and, well..." He shrugged, dropping his story.

"Ten years, huh?" Geoffrey looked at Kiera as she spoke. "And you thought Yuffie was her?"

"For a moment but she didn't have her red hair; not like you do. You look just like her; even your names are similar!"

"Ten years ago, when our home world was taken from us, my sister disappeared along with it. Our Kairis are obviously one in the same. It wasn't luck that brought you here, Sora, it was fate. My entire life I've been trying to grow strong enough to find everyone that I have lost due to the Heartless. Now with you here I can finally begin. You can lead me right to my sister, Sora."

Sora gave a frown. "How can I do that?"

"Because you're connected," Geoffrey was the one to answer this time. "You've been with Kairi longer, know her better. Have faith."

"Saying that I know her better than her sister is kinda weird."

"It can't be helped," The older teen shrugged and moved off down the alley.

"Ignore his...tactics," Kiera told Sora. "He's a little rough around the edges at first but you'll get used to him." She decided to change the subject. "So, do you know anything about wielding a sword? Or do you just wave it around and hope to hit something?"

"Uh...do wooden swords count?"

Kiera snorted. "A swinger it is," She summoned her Keyblade up. "I want you to watch first before taking on some of the smaller Heartless. I'm not very good at teaching so you'll have to wait until Alana comes back."

Sora recalled the older teen that had been with them in the room and swallowed. She stood over him by a few good inches. She was taller than Wakka was! How was he going to be able to take lessons from her?

Agreeing to leave the First District to Leon, Sora was s bit surprised to find another duo fighting off other Heartless in the Second District.

"Kieran," Kiera moved towards the twins. "Rayna!"

Rayna Heartilly, 27, had short black hair and wore a pair of jean capris with a red tank top and a matching jacket around her waist. A pair of crystals hung from her ears as the tattoo of a phoenix rested on her right leg, just above her boots.

Kieran, Rayna's older twin, had short black hair and matching, dark eyes as he wore blue jeans and a green jacket with a silver Knight's chess piece hung from his left ear. A lance, much like Geoffrey's, was in his hands as he stomped one of the little Heartless into the ground with his boot.

"Well well, I was wondering when the little princess was going to show up," Kieran ignored the look he was shot and glanced Sora over. "And I take it this was the one that Alana was talking about earlier? The new Keyblade wielder?" He gave a frown. "A little young, don't you think?"

"Be nice, Kieran," Rayna sighed at her brother, dropping her rapier a bit. She looked at Geoffrey. "Alana went looking for the King's men. Aerith sent them all off towards the Third District."

"Why there?" Kiera raised a brow.

"It's Aerith,"was Kieran's explanation, given with a shrug. "You might want to hurry; Alana will steal all the good stuff."

Geoffrey gave his friend a look. "Will the two of you be alright?"

"We trained with Leonhart and Sirea just like you did," Kieran told him. "We'll be able to take care of these little bastards."

"I'll believe it," Kiera gave them a firm nod. "Let's go help Alana with the King's men."

Kiera hurried into the Third District behind Geoffrey but they both wore frowns when no Heartless greeted them. "What the world?" Was barely out of the young girl's mouth before there was a yell behind them. She turned the see that the King's men had found them by falling on top of Sora; Alana was right behind them, jumping from a railing as she laughed.

"These are the King's men?" Geoffrey asked.

"It seems so."

Kiera tilted her head to the side. "It's a dog and a...duck."

"It's the key!" The duck called out happily as she stared at the object in Sora's hands; he then saw the one in Kiera's. "There's two of them!"

"We can talk later," Geoffrey readied his lance as Heartless finally began to pop up around them.

Alana held a hand out to Sora when the other two had gotten off of him. "You alright?"

"Yeah, considering," He admitted, getting ready for a fight.

She smiled. "Don't worry, just keep close to one of us and you'll be fine."

Taking Kiera's words, Sora took out the smaller Heartless out while the others took care of the larger, tougher ones. Donald, the duck, was a magic-user from the way he attacked and Goofy, the other one, held a large shield ad just ran right into the middle of them, whacking his shield left and right. He and Geoffrey were placed back to back for a moment as some Heartless tried to get a hold of them.

"What the hell is that?"

Alana's cry made Kiera turn her head to see the strangest Heartless that she had ever seen. It looked like a suit of armor.

"Alana, Kiera," Geoffrey began to blow out orders. "Keep it's hands preoccupied. I'll go for the head as the rest of you hit the feet!"

Sora did as he said but he couldn't help but watch the others. Alana, Kiera, and Geoffrey moved together perfectly; it was due to the constant training that the three of them went through together, no doubt. It was going to take him a little while to reach their level.

Kiera landed on her feet again, breathing hard as the Guard Armor disappeared from Geoffrey's final attack. They all looked tired.

"Damn bastard was tough." Alana gasped beside her.

"Have you ever seen one like that before?" Sora asked her.

"No, not that big and not with that many parts." They had to destroy both hands and both legs before they could even get a hit on the thing's head. If it had been just the three of them then the battle would have taken a lot longer than it actually had.

"Let's get back to the First District," Geoffrey told them. "Leon and the others will have already cleaned what Heartless there was out and there we can," He glanced at Donald and Goofy. "Talk."

No one argued and it was just as Geoffrey had said; the others had cleared the Heartless out of the First District. They had arrived to see Yuffie escorting her pregnant aunt back inside her and Cid's shop; she had come out with her hammer and had been smashing some of the Heartless before her husband had made her stop.

"So, you were looking for us?" Sora glanced at Kiera.

"Uh-huh,"Donald nodded. "The King sent us to find the Two Keyblade wielders."

Kiera frowned. "But you're a duck."

The white bird obviously didn't care for the comment. "So what?"

"You're a duck. The next thing you'll tell me is that the King's a mouse."

Alana laughed at her friend. "Kiera, King Mickey IS a mouse."

"What?!"

Leon shook his head as Lucia laughed at the young teenager. "They too, have been seeking the wielders of the Keyblades."

"Hey, why don't the two of you come with us? We can go to other worlds on our vessel." Goofy told them.

"I wonder if I could find Riku and Kairi."

"Of course!" Donald told him, and Goofy leaned down to talk to him.

"Sora, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends." Leon said.

"Yeah, I guess…but," He turned to Kiera. "Will you come with me?"

Kiera raised a brow. "Why ask me that?"

"Well, if...if Kairi really does turn out to be your sister then reuniting the two of you is a good thing; a really good thing."

"You planned on leaving anyway, didn't you?" Lucia smiled at the young girl. "Here's your chance. Besides, they wanted two Keyblade wielders."

"Who knows?" Rayna gave a smile. "This could lead you after Bailey and the others, too."

Kiera gave a smile. That's what she wanted more than anything else in the world.

"You, duck-boy," Alana called out.

"The name's Donald!"

"Yeah. Sure. If you want Kiera to go with you then you have to deal with two other passengers as well. IF she goes then Geoffrey and I go."

"We don't have room in the Gummy for all of you, you know!" Donald got into one of his rages."

"No need to worry about that," Geoffrey told him. "We'll just grab a ship from Cid. I know how to fly one so I'll be able to keep up with you."

"Are you sure we really need this many people?" Sora asked.

"Bailey and the others were only six, too," Alana sighed lowly. "By my calculations I'd say we should have eight or nine people with us."

Sora didn't know who Bailey was but he felt like he had heard the name somewhere before.

"But," Donald turned to the unhappy Sora. "You can't come along looking like that, understand? No frowning. No sad face. Okay?"

"Yeah. Ya gotta look funny, like us." Goofy laughed, and Donald pushed him away a bit.

"This boat runs on happy faces."

"Happy?" Sora whispered, and his head lowered even more. They all waited, and then Sora's face popped up with a goofy smile on his face. Donald and Goofy both burst out laughing, while Kiera right behind them.

"That's one funny Face!" Goofy laughed.

"Okay, why not? We'll go with you guys." He turned to Kiera with a huge smile. Her laugh, it was just like Kairi's. All his doubt of her just being a look-a-like were now gone. Kiera and Kairi were really sisters.

"Donald Duck." Donald held his hand out, and Goofy covered it.

"Goofy." Sora covered his.

"I'm Sora." He gave Kiera a look and she sighed, moving forward to drop her own hand on the circle.

"Kiera."

Alana shoved her way in with a huge smile. "Alana!" Sora glanced at Geoffrey, waiting for the older teen to join then but he had turned to talk to Leon.

"All for one," Goofy laughed. "And one for all."

"Ale sure that you keep an eye on her," Leon was telling the younger man. "I trust you and Alana but there's no telling what could be out there. If you run into anything that you can't handle then I want you all to return straight here, understand?"

Geoffrey gave a nod. "Of course," He watched as Lucia gathered Kiera and Alana both in her arms; they had been together since all of this started; all of them. "I'll bring both of them back home safe and sound; all of them, if it's possible."

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	5. Chapter 4

**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(**

 **Lucia, Kieran, Rayna, Claire, Melanie, Renee, Zeke, Sienna, and Jeanne are my OC characters from my Final Fantasy stories!**

 _ **Chapter Four**_

 _ **Riddles and Skittles**_

"Are you serious?"

"What's wrong, Kiera? Don't you like rabbits?"

The young girl blinked as they stared through the door. They had just landed in a new world and had seen a white rabbit in a suit and glasses run by them, talking about being late. He had opened a variety of doors leading to a very small one. It had led them into a large room just in time to see him disappear into a very small one.

"It's not that; he shrank."

"How did he get so small?" Sora seemed to be puzzled as well.

"No, you're simply too big." The Door Knob yawned.

"Ah! It talks!" Donald jumped.

"What the hell?" Even Alana was shocked. It was a talking door knob! Who wouldn't be surprised? The answer to that question was Geoffrey, apparently. The man had just given the door knob a glance before turning back to looking around the room; he was popping skittles in him mouth.

"Must you be so loud? You woke me up."The door knob told them; Alana and Kiera exchanged a look.

"Good Mornin'" Goofy waved at him.

"Good night. I need a bit more sleep."

"Wait!" Sora called. "What do we have to do to grow small?"

"Why don't you try the bottle, over there." And it fell back asleep.

Alana looked at the table behind them to see two bottles of liquid. One said to grow small, the other big.

"You think it's safe?" Donald asked.

"You're not actually going to consider drinking that, are you?" Alana asked him. "It could be poison for all we know."

"Well, we have to if we want to get anywhere." Sora told her.

"Well, I'm not drinking ti first," She shoved the bottle at Sora. "Be my guest. If you die, we'll bury you at Traverse Town."

Sora looked a bit nervous. No one wanted to try the liquid now. Giving a sigh, Geoffrey grabbed the bottle and took a swig. Kiera gave a squeal as the man shrank and was now standing on the table. She leaned down to level her face with him.

"Oh, he's so cute!" She glanced at Alana. "Can we keep him this size?"

"I, uh, don't think Geoffrey would appreciate that," Alana told her, grabbing the bottle this time. "Well, down the hatch."

So all of them drank some, and they shrunk. But since the doorknob had fallen asleep again, they had to go through a hole in the wall. They arrived to what seemed to be a court, and they saw the rabbit run up some stairs, and blow a horn.

"Court is now in session!"

"I'm on trial? But why?" a young girl in a blue and white dress asked.

"Her Majesty, the Queen of Hearts, presiding."

Kiera raised her brows at the sight of the large woman sitting on a chair in red and black but what really surprised her was the guards; they were all playing cards.

"This girl is the Culprit. There's no doubt about it. And the reason is… because I say so, that's why." The Queen roared.

"But that is so unfair!"

"Well, have you anything to say in your defense?"

"Of course! I have done absolutely nothing wrong. Just because you're Queen, I'm afraid that doesn't give you the right to be so…so mean." Alice declared.

Kiera turned to Alana. "She's got some spunk, don't she?" Alana nodded.

"Silence! You dare defy me?" The Queen yelled.

"Hey, guys, we should help her out." Sora said.

"Yeah, but we're outsiders, right? So would that be muddling?" Goofy asked.

"Meddling!" Donald corrected him.

"Oh, right. And that's against the rules."

"They're right," Geoffrey agreed. "It's better not to get involved in other world's things."

Kiera understood his words but she still felt bad for her.

The Queen hadn't liked Alice's comment."The court finds the defendant…Guilty as charged For the crimes of Assault and attempted theft of my heart. OFF WITH HER HEAD!"

"No no! Oh please!" Alice yelled as the cards turned towards her.

"Hold it right there!" Sora yelled as he ran forward.

"Sora," Alana and Donald groaned.

"Don't worry, he'll learn," Kiera placed a hand on her shoulder. "For now, let's just make sure that he doesn't get himself killed."

"Agreed," Geoffrey nodded, moving further into the court.

The Queen leaned forward. "Who are you? How dare you interfere with my Court?"

"Excuse me," Kiera began.

"But we know who the real culprit is!" Sora finished.

"Yeah, it was the heartle-YEOW!" Goofy yelled when Donald stomped on his foot.

"Anyway, she's not the one you're looking for." Sora told her.

"That's nonsense. Have you any proof?"

"Uh,"

Alice was thrown into a cage next to the Queen's Chair. "Bring me Evidence of Alice's evidence, or it's off with all of your heads!" The Queen yelled.

"Yes, your fatness." Kiera said under her breath. Alana gave a laugh as Geoffrey just popped some more skittles into his mouth.

The only place they could go was the Lotus Forest to the left of the court and it was there that the floating head of the Cheshire cat appeared before them, and began floating around with a smile on his face.

Kiera laughed at it and the cat seemed to be pleased.

"Poor Alice," The Cheshire cat said. " Soon to loose her head, and she's not guilty of a thing."

"Well," Sora began. "If you know who did it, tell us."

"Oh, but that would be to easy. You need to find the boxes, The Shadows will be here soon, so you need to hurry." He disappeared again, and appeared floating in front of them. "Three are a cinch to find, but the fourth one is tricky." He disappeared again, and did not reappear.

"I hate riddles," Alana sighed, hanging her head.

"You think we can trust him?" Sora asked them.

"To Trust or not to trust. I trust you'll decide." The Cheshire cat's voice appeared again.

"He's adorable!" Kiera giggled happily.

"That's a yes from her," Alana sighed.

"Oh, why thank," The Cheshire cat appeared in Kiera's arms, curled up and snug. "I think that you're quite adorable too."Kiera giggled again.

"All right," Alana took the lead. "Let's split up and look for these boxes. There's only four so it shouldn't be that hard."

"Agreed," Donald nodded. "If you get into any trouble then just call out.

Alana waited until the others had disappeared before taking another look around the place. This world...had this been one of the placed that Bailey and the others had been? Had Selia been here, standing right where she was, looking for answers too? Had they even found what they had been looking for all those years ago?

" _What if…what if Kieran's right?" Alana glanced at the boy beside her. "What if they don't come back?"_

" _They'll be back," He assured his friend. "You have to have faith. Always have faith."_

" _Spoken like a true hero."_

 _Turning around, Selia and Lucient stood behind the two children with smile. With a cry, Alana ran to her sister and gripped her as hard as she could. Geoffrey gave his teacher a salute, accompanied by his goofy grin._

" _Jeez, did you miss me that much, Alana?" Selia chuckled._

" _Of course I did! You can't leave again, Selia! I won't let you!"_

" _It's not the same without you here," Geoffrey told Lucient. He glanced around the area. "Is Bailey with you?"_

" _That's…sort of the reason why we're here." Lucient placed a hand on the boy's head. "Both of you have a seat. We need to talk."_

 _They relayed everything to the children. Leaving nothing untold, Lucient explained what had happened and where Bailey, Terra, and Ventus now were. Alana teared up instantly but Geoffrey stayed strong._

" _You must not tell the others what happened," Selia told them."Just keep quiet and watch over the twins."_

" _But…why tell us?" Geoffrey asked. "Why not ask Squall or the others?"_

" _Because I trust you," Lucient answered him. "Though Kieran is my student as well, you are more like me than anyone else I've ever met. I know that you will protect the princesses if anything were to happen, would you not?"_

 _Geoffrey nodded firmly. "With my life."_

" _And you because you will do the same." Selia told her sister. "Keep practicing. If you need help, ask Lucia. She can help you with your sword; her and Squall both. Even Cloud will if you ask nicely."_

" _But why can't you do it?" Alana asked. "Why can't you just stay and do it?"_

 _Selia gave a silent sigh and closed her eyes. "Because they need me. I would love to stay here with you, Alana, and have things return to the way they once were, but I can't." She felt the tears coming. "Bailey is important to me, just as Ventus is. If I were to leave Aqua to ty and help them alone, what kind of friend would that make me? I have to do all that I can to help save them. You might not understand it all now, but you will one day. One day you'll meet someone like Ventus and you'll want to protect him with all your heart. You'll understand then." Alana dove into her sister's arms, trying to hold back more tears. "I'm sorry to leave this on you, Alana. I'm so, so, sorry."_

" _You can count on me, Lucient," Geoffrey gave the older man another little salute. "I'll do everything in my power to protect them; and Alana. In the future, if you need me, you need only ask!"_

 _Lucient placed a hand on the boys head. "I know that, Geoffrey, and I believe you. Until the day comes when we can fight side by side, train and grow strong. And don't forget, the two of us will always be with you."_

Alana hated when Selia and Lucient left them that final time. There hadn't been word from them in ten years. Where were they?

The others had found all four boxes so they wasted no time in taking it to the Queen. Sora ran up to the cards with their evidence.

"Are you ready to present your evidence to the Queen?"

"Yes," Ne nodded.

"Very well. Council, stand up to the Podium.""Now, Show me what you have found." The Queen said, and Sora showed their four boxes. "That's quite a bit. Cards, Bring mine." One box showed up, and Kiera snickered at the Queen with each other silently as the boxes were all mixed up. "Hmm. Checking all five would just be a waste of time. All right, pick one you would like to present. I'll decide who's the culprit based on the Evidence."

"What?" Sora cried. "After the trouble of collecting it all?"

"You dare object, and you will lose your heads! Now choose a box."

Sora glanced at the others who stood off to the side. "Which one should I pick?"

"The fourth one," Alana told him. "Stick with my lucky number."

"i thought it was seven." Kiera told her friend.

Alana flushed. "Shut up."

Sora jumped down, and chose the fourth of the five boxes. An armored Heartless popped up out of it, and then disappeared.

"What in the world was that?" The Queen gasped.

"There's your evidence. Alice is innocent."

"Arrgh! Silence! I'm the law here! Article 29: Anyone who defies the Queen is guilty."

"That's crazy!" Donald yelled.

"Seize them at once!" The Tower appeared, and they raised the Cage that held Alice up out of Sora's reach.

"Do they really think this will stop us?" Alana asked.

"It doesn't matter anymore, does it?" Geoffrey replied, pulling out his lance. Everyone else pretty much kept the guard cards at bay while Alana and Geoffrey laid waste to the tower. It didn't take that long at all. After they destroyed the tower, they ran to Alice's cage, but she was not there.

"She must have gotten Kidnapped while we were fighting." Donald announced.

"But why kidnap her?" Kiera pondered. "What's the point?"

"You fools!" The Queen yelled. "Find the one who's behind this! I don't care how!" And the Cards scattered.

Sora and the others once again ran into the Lotus forest, where the Cheshire Cat once again appeared.

"Have you seen Alice?" Sora asked.

"Alice, no. Shadows, yes."

"Where did they go?" Donald demanded.

"This way? That way? What does it matter? Left? Right? Up? Down? All mixed up thanks to the Shadows. Step further into the forest to the deserted garden. You might find shadows in the upside down room."

"Goddamn riddles." Alana glanced at her friend. "Stop eating those damn skittles!"

"What does that mean?" Sora asked, ignoring Alana and Geoffrey.

"The upside down room?" Goofy pondered.

"We need to go to the ceiling of the room where the doorknob is." Kiera said suddenly.

"What?"

Kiera began to fidget under their gazes and glanced away. "Well, the upside down room. Upside down would be the ceiling you walk on, not the floor, and the only room here is the room with the doorknob in it."

"Kiera," Alana locked an arm around her neck and kissed the top of her head. "You are a genius."

They reached the room's ceiling through a doorway through the Lotus Forest. Sora felt awkward, walking on the ceiling, but Kiera had been right. The Cheshire Cat appeared again with that smile of his.

"They're hiding somewhere. And the moments upgrade. Want to find the Shadows? Try turning on the light." Sora found the candles, and lit one, only to have the Cheshire cat appear next to the other. "It's too dim. Make it brighter."

"What's next?" Sora asked, but the Cheshire Cat continued to only smile.

"One more lamp you need to light." He appeared again after they did. "All the lights are on. You'll see the shadows soon. They'll arise in this room, but somewhere else. The shadows might go after that doorknob too."

"Why the door knob?" Alana asked.

"Simple," Geoffrey answered. "The Heartless are after the world's heart, right? The Doorknob must be the Keyhole."

"Huh, it makes sense. It's a doorknob, after all."

"Stop talking and let's go!" Kiera told them, running for the door. "We can't let the Heartless take this world!"

back in the room, safely on the floor this time, Geoffrey's words had been true; the Cheshire Cat was waiting for them on the table."The Shadows should be here soon. Are you prepared for the Worse? If not, too bad!" He pointed at the Ceiling just before disappearing, and they all saw the Trick Master fall down and they bared their weapons.

This battle was a bit harder than any of the ones that they had had before. It was similar to the Knight Armor that they had encountered in Traverse Town but the only problem was they were small. It was a bit more agrivating with the table and the chair being removed by the Heartless and both Goofy and Donald had been knocked out once or twice. After he was beaten, Alana dropped back down to her feet and stretched.

"Aww, that's it? That was easy!"

"Speak for yourself," Kiera was catching her breath. "We can't all have your damn jumping skills, you know."

The Doorknob woke again, and yawned."What a racket. How's a doorknob to get any sleep?" He yawned largely, and they all saw the Keyhole to the world.

"What do we do now?" Sora asked.

"I don't know, shove the Keyblade in it's mouth?" Kiera offered.

"You go first." He told her.

Taking a breath, Kiera lifted her Keyblade and got closer. She felt something grab the end of the Keyblade and pull it forward. Her eyes grew wide as a blue light shot out of it and into the Keyhole; it locked it.

"Nice job, Kiera," Alana ruffled her hair. "You had me worried for a minute."

"Get off," Kiera shoved her hand away but couldn't hide the smile on her face or the feeling of pride in her chest.

The Cheshire Cat applauded, announcing that he was still here."Splendid! You're quite the Heroes. But there's something you're missing."

"What?" Sora asked.

"I won't tell, but I'll give you something." He gave both of them the spell blizzard. "Oh, and if you're looking for Alice, she's not here. She's gone off with the Shadows into Darkness."

"No…" Sora and Keira both felt bad now.

"Let's go back to the Gummi ship," Donald told them. "We might find her in a different world.

"Yeah." Goofy agreed.

"Goofy," Alana moved forward. "Switch spots with me."

"huh? Why?"

"So I can give Sora a few fighting lessons before we reach the next world. He needs to get stronger if he wants to save the worlds, after all."

"That's a good idea," Donald nodded.

"Don't worry, Goofy," Geoffrey told the dog. "I'll make sure that Kiera doesn't hurt you."

The young teen glared at her friend. "You're an ass."

Alana laughed and glanced at Sora. "Now, you ready? I won't take it easy on you just because you're a kid, you know."

Sora gulped. "Y-yeah." He suddenly had a very bad idea about this.

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	6. Chapter 5

**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(**

 **Lucia, Kieran, Rayna, Claire, Melanie, Renee, Zeke, Sienna, and Jeanne are my OC characters from my Final Fantasy stories!**

 _ **Chapter Five**_

 _ **Welcome to the Jungle**_

" **This is harder than I thought,"** Sora collapsed onto the floor of the Gummi Ship. "You're really good at this!"

"That's what ten years of practice will do for you," Alana smiled, taking a seat beside the boy. She had been training Sora in the gummi ship that they were on while Donald flew. The space in the ship was surprisingly large; larger than the one they had borrowed from Cid but considering that they got this ship from King Mickey it wasn't hard to realize why it was bigger."You're not too bad. You're dodging is really good as is your blocking."

"You can thank Riku and the others for that," Sora told her.

"The others?"

"Yeah. On our island there were three others. Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie. Along with Riku, we'd always fight. Kairi was the only one who never did. She just liked to watch."

Alana gave a frown. "These other friends of yours, are you not worried about them as well?"

Sora opened his mouth to talk but then closed it again. To be honest, Tidus and the others hadn't even come to mind before now; neither had his mother. Where were they at now?"

"Don't worry," Alana clapped a hand on his back. "I'm sure they're all safe. You just got to find them, that's all."

Sora was silent for a moment. "Just who is it that you're looking for?"

Alana kept her smile. "Who said I was looking for someone?"

"Kiera. You're all looking for someone, right?"

She nodded her head. "I'm looking for my sister. Alana took a breath."She's not my actual sister, though. Not like Kiera and Kairi are. I was an orphan, living on the streets when Selia saved me. It's because of her that I'm alive. Ten years ago she left on a journey with Bailey, Lucient, and a few others to save someone important to her. She left me with a mission to take care of and protect Kiera and Kairi until they were able to return. It wasn't long after they left the last time that we had to leave Radiant Garden."

"You miss her."

"Of course I do," Alana admitted. "Just like Geoffrey misses Lucient and Kiera misses Bailey and Kairi. That's why I strive so hard. I want to find them. I want us all to be happy again and I will not quit until I have my sister, my best friend, back beside me." She wrapped her arms around her knees. "She left to try and save someone important to her. I didn't understand it too much then but now I do."

"I'm sure we'll find them. We'll find them all!" Sora told her happily.

"Yeah," Alana watched as Sora stood to go talk to the duck that was currently flying this gummi ship. What she had said was true. She didn't understand why Selia had to leave her ten years ago; she did know now, though. Selia had been in love with Ventus. That's why she chose to try and save him, to try and find his heart.

" _What if…what if Kieran's right?" Alana glanced at the boy beside her. "What if they don't come back?"_

" _They'll be back," He assured his friend. "You have to have faith. Always have faith."_

" _Spoken like a true hero."_

 _Turning around, Selia and Lucient stood behind the two children with smile. With a cry, Alana ran to her sister and gripped her as hard as she could. Geoffrey gave his teacher a salute, accompanied by his goofy grin._

" _Jeez, did you miss me that much, Alana?" Selia chuckled._

" _Of course I did! You can't leave again, Selia! I won't let you!"_

" _It's not the same without you here," Geoffrey told Lucient. He glanced around the area. "Is Bailey with you?"_

" _That's…sort of the reason why we're here."_

 _Lucient placed a hand on the boy's head. "Both of you have a seat. We need to talk."_

 _They relayed everything to the children. Leaving nothing untold, Lucient explained what had happened and where Bailey, Terra, and Ventus now were. Alana teared up instantly but Geoffrey stayed strong._

" _You must not tell the others what happened," Selia told them. "Just keep quiet and watch over the twins."_

" _But…why tell us?" Geoffrey asked. "Why not ask Squall or the others?"_

" _Because I trust you," Lucient answered him. "Though Kieran is my student as well, you are more like me than anyone else I've ever met. I know that you will protect the princesses if anything were to happen, would you not?"_

 _Geoffrey nodded firmly. "With my life."_

" _And you because you will do the same." Selia told her sister. "Keep practicing. If you need help, ask Lucia. She can help you with your sword; her and Squall both. Even Cloud will if you ask nicely."_

" _But why can't you do it?" Alana asked. "Why can't you just stay and do it?"_

 _Selia gave a silent sigh and closed her eyes. "Because they need me. I would love to stay here with you, Alana, and have things return to the way they once were, but I can't." She felt the tears coming. "Bailey is important to me, just as Ventus is. If I were to leave Aqua to ty and help them alone, what kind of friend would that make me? I have to do all that I can to help save them. You might not understand it all now, but you will one day. One day you'll meet someone like Ventus and you'll want to protect him with all your heart. You'll understand then." Alana dove into her sister's arms, trying to hold back more tears. "I'm sorry to leave this on you, Alana. I'm so, so, sorry."_

" _You can count on me, Lucient," Geoffrey gave the older man another little salute. "I'll do everything in my power to protect them; and Alana. In the future, if you need me, you need only ask!"_

 _Lucient placed a hand on the boys head. "I know that, Geoffrey, and I believe you. Until the day comes when we can fight side by side, train and grow strong. And don't forget, the two of us will always be with you."_

Alana was yanked out of her memories by a sharp turn of the gummi ship. She was slammed into the wall to her left, whacking her head against it. She saw lights for a moment before regaining her mind. Sora and Donald had been fighting over the steering and now the ship was spinning out of control; heading for another world.

"Dammit, you idiots!"

She tried to straighten out the ship but it was too late. The atmostphere of the new world had grabbed them and sucked them in.

One minute she was in the Gummi ship and the next she was hanging on a huge branch in the middle of the forest.

Pursing her lips together, Alana moved to where she sat on the branch crosslegged, staring out around her. She had no dount in her mind that Geoffrey and Kiera were laughing right now as they followed them into this world. She didn't want to think about what they would say when they were reunited. She also couldn't see Donald or Sora anywhere near her. She wanted them to be safe so that she could beat the hell out of them when she found them again.

There was nothing but trees and trees for miles, it seemed. The branch she sat on was huge and it looked like someone had cleared the path of branches over it, as if clearing a pathway.

"No good in just sitting here all day," Alana told herself, standing. "Better find...someone, at least." She began to move, careful to stay away from the edges of the branch. She had no idea how she was going to get down from here. The other branches were too far away now due to whoever cleared them out, leaving just a straight path through the forest that she had no idea where it would make her end up at. She refused to just stay there, though.

"WATCH OUT!"

It was a few minutes later that she heard the voice cry out behind her. Alana turned to find Sora sliding down the brancch at her at a high speed. She didn't have time to move and so she was hit; Sora ended up knocking her off of the branch. Alana was dazed for a moment before reaching out from any of the branches around her but they either snapped off or she completely missed. She had begun to say her final prayers when something grabbed her around the waist, saving her from her death. Before she had a moment to regain herself she felt herself being carried back up the tree branches. She closed her eyes and clung to whoever it was that saved her. The body was warm and, from what she could feel, clothesless; and toned. She tried to keep her thoughts pure and was thankful when she felt her feet placed back down and Sora's voice calling out to her.

"Alana! Alana, I'm so sorry! Are you okay!"

"Yeah," Alana took a breath and opened her eyes to see Sora leaning over her. "What the hell were you doing?"

"It's called tree sliding. Tarzan here was teaching me."

"Tarzan?" She turned around and got the first glance of her savior. It was a young man with long brown hair and tanned skin. She had been right when thinking that her savior had been clothesless. Tarzan was in just a loincloth. Her cheeks flared up and she kept her eyes from looking down. "Th-thanks for saving me." The man gave a grunt. "Does he not talk?"

"Not alot," Sora admitted. "But he says he knows where Riku and Kairi are!"

Alana raised a brow. "Is that right?"

"Yeah, he was taking me there when I hit you," He scratched the back of his head. "I'm really sorry about that."

Alana gave a chuckle. "I'm not hurt so," She glanced around. "I take it that Donald's not with you?"

"No, he's not. Do you think Geoffrey and the others will follow us down here?"

"More than likely," She glanced around again. "Do you think the heartless are here, too?"

"I havent' seen any yet but that doesn't mean anything," Sora replied. "We'll just have to keep an eye out. Come on, I'll show you how to tree surf."

Alana shook her head as the young teen tried to show her how Tarzan traveled around through the forest. It resulted in her laughing at him. Tarzan laughed with her and Alana had the strangest feeling that, from the weird sounds that he was making, he hadn't had alot of human interaction. Or maybe that was just how the natives here spoke.

Tarzan led them to a camp. Alana glanced everywhere at all the boxes and clothes and glass that littered the place, including the chalkboard that someone had been drawing Tarzan on. It was actually a pretty good job.

Tarzan led them into the large yellow tent in the middle of the area and was introduced into a young woman with drown hair.

"Jane!" Tarzan greeted with a smile.

"Tarzan," Jane turned and saw the two that walked inside after the loincloth wearer. "Oh, who are you?"

Sora looked nervous. "Uh...hi there. We're-"

"Oh, you speak English! So then, obviously, you're not related to Tarzan…Are you here to study the gorillas?"

"Highly doubtful." A new voice came, and they all turned to see him lead in Donald. The man was dressed in yellow with a neat mustache and combed back hair; a rifle was in his hands.

"Sora! Alana!" Donald yelled as he and Sora ran to the other, grabbing hands. and Sora and Donald ran forward, grabbing each other's hands. "Donald!" Then, Donald and Sora remembered that they were mad at each other, and let go, turning their backs to the other. Alana shook her head as she laughed at the two of them.

"My apologies on my companions," Alana told Jane. "They're still children."

"Oh, that's quite alright," The young woman smiled again.

"A circus of clowns. Not much use for hunting Gorillas." Clayton said as he turned to leave.

"Mr. Clayton! We're studying them, not hunting them! This is research!" Jane then turned to them again. "Well, the more the merrier. Do make yourselves at home."

"Are you sure?" Alana asked her. "We could be killers, you know."

The woman laughed. "I highly doubt that."

"Well, anyway, I'm staying" Both Donald and Sora said, then looked at each other. "What?"

"I don't care what you both say," Alana cut the argument they were no doubt about to have. "We can't leave until Kiera and the others find us. So get over your little fight and I swear that if your fighting lands us in another world like this it will not be the heartless you'll be afraid of."

"Yes ma'am." Sora and Donald both hung their heads as Jane laughed. Tarzan just watched with a peculiar look.

Apparently Donald found a gummi block and had begun to think that King Mickey was somewhere around this world and that was why he wanted to stay here in this world to search around. Sora was still trying to figure out what Tarzan meant in the tree house about Kairi and Riku. Jane had sent him outside of the tent to find some slides for Tarzan to look at, leaving Alana to talk to Jane.

"Apparently, Tarzan was raised in the Jungle by the gorillas. So, communicating with him's not easy, but he's learning." Jane was telling her.

"Is that right? That's amazing, if you think about it? Gorillas are very territorial, or so I've read. I've never actually seen one outside of a book before."

"Really? We'll have to change that...hopefully."

Alana gave her a smile. "So he was speaking gorilla back that," She glanced at the tanned man that was in the corner of the tent, playing with an umbrella. "I owe him my life; how do I repay him when he's...is abnormal a way to word it without being rude?"

Jane shook her head. "I'm sure that he won't mind. And in repaying him, just be his friend."

"That seems lousy."

"He most likely won't know anything else."

"Touché'."

Sora returned with the slides not long after and the group gathered around. Alana didn't really pay attention as she flipped through some of Jane's books but a certain slide caught her attention. It was a picture of a large castle; one that she recognized. Ignoring the others, she walked right up to it. It was the Castle from Radiant Garden. How the hell was this here?

Sora watched as she ran her hand over the castle. He gave a soft frown. "Alana, are you alright?"

His voice seemed to pull her back and she stepped to the side. "Yeah..."

The rest of the slides were finished, and Jane turned to Tarzan. "Well, Tarzan?"

Sora looked at him. "Where are my friends, Riku and Kairi." Tarzan only shook his head. "Hey, I thought-"

"That leaves just one place," Clayton claimed, announcing that he had joined them in the tent again. "Young man, we've been in this jungle for some time now. But we have yet to encounter these friends of yours. I'd wager that they're with the gorillas. But Tarzan refuses to take us to them."

Jane gave a frown. "Really, Mr. Clayton. Tarzan wouldn't hide-"

"Then take us there! Take us to the gorillas. Go-ril-las."

"Look here," Alana began as Tarzan looked at Sora, who seemed really excited. Tarzan nodded, and touched Alana's hand, shaking his head at her. She stopped yelling at Clayton immediately and just gave a shrug. "Well, if you want to."

"Tarzan…are you sure?" Jane asked.

The man nodded. "Tarzan go see Kerchak."

"Kerchak?"

"He must be the leader. Perfect. I'll go along as an escort. After all, the Jungle is a dangerous place." Clayton said, and then smiled evilly as he exited the tent. Alana gave a sigh and turned from them.

"Have fun, Sora. I'll stay here with Jane."

"Are you sure? Aren't you even interested in the gorillas?"

"No, not really. Have your fun. I'll wait here for Geoffrey and the others; hopefully they'll be able to find us." She glanced at the woman behind her. "As long as you don't mind, of course."

"Another woman around the camp is a lovely idea," Jane smiled, clapping her hands together. "Shall I make some tea?"

"I can help," Alana smiled. "Geoffrey made me make it all the time back home. It's not as good as my sister's but I'm not too bad."

Sora and Donald went with Clayton and Tarzan, leaving the two women to themselves. Jane was clearly pleased that she was no longer the only female in the area; and especially that Alana knew English. They settled down in the tent with some tea for nearly half an hour before a voice called to them outside.

"Alana? Sora? Is one of you here?"

"Friends of yours?" Jane asked as a smile spread across her face.

"Mine, yes, but not Sora's." Alana stood and exited the tent. "About time you guys got here."

"Hey there, Alana!" Goofy waved with that big smile of his. Geoffrey had been glancing at the test tubes on a nearby table as Kiera stared at the other woman.

"What happened?" The younger girl asked. "One moment everything's fine and the next we see you guys crash land here."

"Sora and Donald got into a fight over landing here or not," Alana answered.

"And you didn't stop them?" Geoffrey looked at her.

Alana turned her gaze away as she scratched the back of her head. "I was busy thinking about something. By the time I knew what was going on it was too late." He accepted her answer. "Anyway, Sora and Donald went with Tarzan to talk to the gorillas."

"And you stayed here?"

Keira raised her brows. "Did you say gorillas?"

"I'll explain inside," She turned back to the tent. "Come with me. I'm sure Jane would like some more human company."

She did. The woman was ecstatic with the arrival on more people and hurried around to pour more tea as Alana explained all about Tarzan and the gorillas. Alana knew that Geoffrey would, undoubtedly, scold Sora and Donald both when they returned but for now the conversation was peaceful; until Sora and Donald returned to tell Jane about what happened.

Apparently Clayton had tried to shoot one of the gorillas at the treehouse; and Kerchak had seen him. If Donald hadn't of yelled at him then only bad things would have happened.

"How could you do such a thing?" Jane yelled furiously.

"Now, Miss Porter, as I told you, I was not aiming at the gorilla."

"You are not to go near the gorillas again!" She yelled.

"All because of one mishap? Come now." Clayton asked. He then saw that everyone in the tent, even Goofy looked angry. He laughed nervously and backed out.

"Jerk," Kiera growled, crossing her arms.

"Glad you found us," Sora smiled at Geoffrey. "I was beginning to worry for a minute."

Geoffrey just stared at him before closing his eyes. "Next time you ride with Donald I'll accompany you so this doesn't happen again."

Sora's face fell and he looked at Alana. "You told him?"

She stuck her tongue out. "Sorry."

"For what?" Kiera asked. "He'd be more upset if you hadn't said anything, believe me." The young boy was going to comment again when a gunshot went off nearby. "Did he really just do that?"

"Let's go find out," Donald told them, hurrying out of the tent.

"Do we have to?" Alana asked.

"Sora! Kiera! Hurry!"

Donald's voice crying out was the answer to that; the Heartless had finally showed up here in the Jungle.

"And here I thought we were going to get a day off," Alana sighed, pulling out her sword.

The Heartless were mainly the same, save for these strangely dressed ones that liked to drop banana peels for you to slip on. Clayton was nowhere to be found and when they returned back to camp Jane was gone as well.

"So it's a rescue mission now, huh?" Kiera frowned.

"Alana, you take Sora, Tarzan, and Donald and search the western half, I'll take Kiera and Goofy to the east," Geoffrey turned from the tent. "One of us are bound something."

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Alana saluted the older teen and turned to Tarzan. "Don't worry, monkey man, we'll find your girlfriend."

Sora was glad that Alana was with them still instead of Geoffrey. The older man was so uptight. Alana was laid back and cutting jokes every step of the way. It was clear to see that Kiera took to Alana's personality more than she did Geoffrey's, though he had seen her serious side when they had first met. Leon and Lucia had their hands in that too, no doubt.

Gorillas all over the place were being attacked by the Heartless and were in need of rescue. It wasn't until Geoffrey showed up again and announced that they had saved Jane near the tree house that they realized that Clayton was behind it all; and he was going after Kerchak. They arrived just before he took his shot.

"NO!" Sora and Keira both yelled, and it drew Clayton's attention away from the Gorillas to where they could escape.

"Alright, old man," Alana pointed her blade at the man. "I don't want any excuses. Drop the gun or is this going to get nasty?" Her answer was something breaking down the wall behind the man in yellow; he mounted the invisible creature and sneered down at them all. "What the hell?"

"Fight now, ask questions later," Keira called to the older woman as she and Goofy dodged one of Clayton's shots.

"We can't fight if we can't see it!" Sora growled minutes later, barely blocking a blow from the invisible creature.

"Follow its shadows!" Donald called out, calling down a strike of lightening.

"Bullshit," Alana told him. "Just aim for beneath Clayton. It's not rocket science, dammit!"

Placing a hand on her blade, she concentrated until she felt the metal heating up. "Geoffrey!"

At his name, the man turned to see Alana running at him. Understanding, he cupped his hands and gave her a boost over his head.

With a roar, Alana twirled in the air as a fire burst from her sword. She brought it down in front of Clayton, striking true against the invisible creature's head. It gave off a roar of its own and revealed itself to be a huge chameleon as Clayton jumped off the defeated creature's back.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kiera blocked the man's path; he lifted his gun at her.

With a yell, Tarzan hit Clayton from the side. Knocking his shot off course and into the side of the cliff, knocking the man in yellow out.

"We're not going to kill him?" Kiera asked.

Sora look appalled at the question. "Are you serious."

"Not this time, Kiera," Alana shook her head.

"Undoubtedly the Heartless shall claim him,'' Geoffrey closed his eyes.

"And this time I won't feel bad about it." Alana spat.

"Me neither!" Donald claimed, crossing his arms.

Moments later, with a bit of Kerchak's help, the entire group reached a new area. It gave them a beautiful view of the waterfalls and the rest of the forest. Alana found herself wondering if her sister had seen this place. If not, she would have to bring her back after she found her.

"Tarzan, Home." The ape-man told them, leading the way.

"I'm almost jealous," Kiera smiled as Goofy laughed beside her.

He then led them up into a cave-like area where a bunch of butterflies covered a tree. "*&&X%" Tarzan repeated.

"This is your home? But that means…" Tarzan held up his hand to silence them all, and then put his hand to his ear.

"Oh, it's the waterfalls!" Both Keira and Jane exclaimed. "They're echoing all the way up here!"

"*&&X%. Friends there. See friends."

"Oh, now I get it," Jane said. "*&&X% means heart. Friends in our Hearts…"

"Heart…" Tarzan tried out the new word.

"Oh," Sora looked downhearted. "So that's what it meant."

Alana slid an arm round his shoulders, giving him a cheer-up hug. "Don't worry. This is only the second place, Sora; we'll find them." She looked at the tree again. "We'll find them all."

"Yeah."

"Friends, same heart," Tarzan continued to speak. "Clayton, lose heart. No heart, no see friends. No heart, no friends."

Sora and Donald turned to one another. "Sorry about what I said."

"I'm sorry too." Goofy picked both of them up in a hug as the other trio all smiled; even Geoffrey let a grin poke out.

"Yeah. All for one, huh?"

The butterflies moved, and revealed the Keyhole.

"It's all yours, Sora," Kiera smiled. "I did the last one."

"But how did you do it?" He asked her, looking at the Keyblade in his hand.

"Just…poke it." The teen told him.

"Shove it in there," Alana encouraged him. "Give it no mercy!"

With a smile, Sora mimicked what he had seen Kiera do in Wonderland. His grin grew wider when a bright light shot out and locked the Keyhole; only to have another Gummi Block fly out at them.

"Look, another Gummi Block!" Donald smiled, picking it up.

Goofy took a look before giving a sigh "But it's sure not the King's."

Turk then stood next to Donald, and batted her eyes at him. They all smiled as Jane said, "I think someone has a new admirer."

"What? No, no, no, no! Daisy would kill me!" Donald exclaimed, and they all laughed at him.

"Oh, don't worry, we won't tell," Alana gave a wink before glancing at Geoffrey. He motioned with his head. Giving a slight frown, both of them slipped back outside away from the others. "What is it?"

"These two worlds, and another, are the only worlds left in this region. Our ship can make the journey to the next but I'm afraid that the other one can't. We'll have to return to Traverse Town to get Cid to install it for us."

"Already?" Alana gave a frown. "We've barely been gone."

"I know but it can't be helped," Geoffrey glanced off for a moment. "Besides, there's another world that I want to visit again before heading back; the only other one."

Alana raised a brow. "Which one is that?"

 **PLEASE REVIEW :)**


	7. Chapter 6

**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(**

 **Lucia, Kieran, Rayna, Claire, Melanie, Renee, Zeke, Sienna, and Jeanne are my OC characters from my Final Fantasy stories!**

 **When I play KH, I always train and train in Traverse Town before I go to the other Worlds. Olympus Coliseum is where I always go first, even before Wonderland. I do the charts backwards; it makes the bosses easier; except for Cerberus. He still kicks my ass sometimes lol**

 _ **Chapter Six**_

 _ **Have Faith**_

" **This is where you wanted to come?"**

Geoffrey glanced at Alana with a smirk. "I have a few things I want to check on."

"A few things? Or a few people?" Alana's voice was cold as she glared at the young man. "Look, you're not going to find them. They're not going to appear on a whim, Geoffrey. They'll only show up when they want."

Geoffrey sighed and turned back from his friend. He had brought the group to Olympus Coliseum. Years ago, before they lost their home world and before Bailey came to them, there were two top guards of the Castle. Lovers, by the name of Sephiroth and Sienna. Selia had told them that the last spot the duo was ever spotted was here at the Coliseum. They disappeared years ago, just like Bailey and the others had. Leon had wanted someone here to keep a lookout for anyone that showed up around here. There were currently three people here that he knew about that he needed to talk to about the duo; and finding the others.

It had been a little while since they had come to the Coliseum. This was Kiera's first time here.

"It doesn't hurt in trying," Geoffrey told his friend. "You watch them, will you? I'll be back soon."

Alana shook her head. "You can't find someone who doesn't want to be found, Geoffrey."

He waved as hand over his shoulder as he walked away from the Coliseum gates. "Doesn't keep me from trying."

As he moved further and further away from the group, Geoffrey's smile fell. He knew that there wasn't a very good chance of getting anything new out of the ones he was looking for but they were here so he had to at least check. Maybe there was wind of any others that had gotten lost when Radiant Garden was overrun.

Or maybe he was just hoping for something inevitable. Maybe this entire journey that they had just started was inevitable. Maybe they were foolish in even thinking that they could find the others, let alone save any other worlds. Sure, they had locked the Key Holes to Wonderland and Deep Jungle, but how far could they really go? He had a fear that…that he and Alana, that they would disappear just like Lucient and Selia did. He wished he had his Master's strength; his confidence.

Olympus wasn't too crowded right now; the games were still a short way away, but there were a few that were wandering the streets; the people that actually lived here. It was peaceful here. Reminding Geoffrey of the small area that the orphans lived at in Radiant Garden.

He missed it all.

He didn't have to search far to find someone that he had been looking for. Any of the three would have done but he found himself pleased that he found this one first.

"Still waiting, are you, Melanie?"

At her name, the woman that had been reading outside of a coffee shop looked up. She blinked a few times, trying to put a name to the face, before it hit her. She gave a smile and set her book aside.

"And you're still wearing that gay-ass green hair."

Geoffrey laughed as she motioned for him to take a seat across from her. "It's my natural hair color; I can't change it, you know."

"You could dye it."

"And waste munny? No thanks. I like my hair."

Melanie rolled her eyes. Out of the three times previous that she and Geoffrey had met, the woman would always comment about that green hair of his.

Melanie was a woman in her late twenties with unruly dark brown hair past her shoulders and light violet eyes. In a pair of orange and black capris and a black tank top, she wore a jug on her right hip, hanging on a yellow and blue cord with the word 'Nog' printed across it. A beaded ornament hung around her neck and a pair of black sunglasses were propped up on her head.

"So, what brings the great knight here to the Coliseum? The games don't start for a little while longer so I know it's not that."

Geoffrey shook his head. "You know what I came for."

Melanie gave a silent sigh and scratched the bridge of her nose. "It's still the same. Neither Selia, Bailey, or Lucient have shown up here again. It's been ten years, Geoffrey. You might want to give up."

Geoffrey gave her a hard look. "Should YOU really say that to ME?"

She turned her head away. "No, I suppose I shouldn't."

Melanie had stayed here at Olympus for one reason and that reason was a man named Auron. Thirteen years she had waited on this man to return to her. Her patience was astonishing.

"I do think that I have some news you might find interesting, though," Melanie began, changing the subject.

"Oh? And what is it?"

"About a year ago someone came to see Jeanne. It was a man named Cloud."

Geoffrey's eyes widened. He only knew one Cloud. "Cloud Strife?"

"Spiky blond hair and a loner attitude?"

"It is him," Geoffrey closed his eyes. When Radiant Garden had been lost, Cloud Strife, and his sister Claire, had been a few of the ones that didn't make it to Traverse Town with the rest of them. "Is he okay?" He remembered the days he played with Cloud and his sister, despite them being older than him. Cloud and Leon had been quite similar; apparently they still were.

"He claimed that he was looking for his sister. He knew Jeanne and Zeke, too. Was surprised to find them here, apparently."

Jeanne Rush and Zeke Fair. Geoffrey had only heard the names before but he knew stories. Jeanne and Zeke, along with Zeke's cousin Zack, left Radiant Garden with Sephiroth and Sienna almost 15 years ago. Though Zack, Sienna, and Sephiroth had all disappeared, Jeanne and Zeke still lived here in Olympus.

"I kept an eye out for them just like Leon wanted but no luck," Melanie told him. "Zack still hasn't returned yet, either and I haven't heard from Sienna or Sephiroth for nearly a year. Last time I saw them though, they scared the hell out of me."

"How so?"

"Sephiroth ripped Cloud to pieces. If Zeke hadn't of stepped in, then things really would have gotten ugly."

"Where was Jeanne?"

"Fighting Sienna. I'm telling you, something happened to the five of them; I just don't know what."

"It'll be a horrible idea if the two of them become Heartless." Just the thought of Sephiroth and Sienna becoming Heartless was enough to make him shiver.

Melanie shook her head. "I don't think we have to worry about that too much. They're too strong to let that happen to themselves. I'm not sure what happened but Cloud's searching everywhere for the two of them, with Zeke's help. Jeanne is too, but for a different reason. I've found myself praying that she finds them first. If Cloud's ship hadn't been destroyed, then I'm sure he would have left a long time ago to search other worlds."

"Who destroyed his ship?"

"Sienna." Geoffrey should have known. "If Charel were here then she could have fixed his ship up but I'm afraid that she's not."

Geoffrey gave a sigh. He didn't get the information that he wanted but he got some so that was enough for now. "Where are Zeke and Jeanne?"

"Jeanne is most likely at her house right now and Zeke is probably helping Phil out with getting things ready for the games since Hercules is visiting his parents today," Melanie rolled her neck. "I take it that you're not here alone?"

"No. Alana and Kiera are with me, as well as a few others."

"The Princess?" Melanie tilted her head a bit at Kiera's name. "You mean that Leon actually let you take her from his sights?" She then gave a frown. "So that's what brought about the check-up." She changed it to a smile. "Don't get down, Geoffrey. You'll find them all one day; you just gotta have faith," She locked eyes with him. "Isn't that what you always say?"

Geoffrey let a smile spread across his face. "Yeah, it is." Talking to Melanie cheered him up. She had Lucia's air about her, so maybe that was the reason why. "I left Alana and the others at the Coliseum so I've no doubt that they've run into Zeke. I'm sure they'll be wanting to leave again, soon."

Melanie gave a nod. "You'll be coming for the games right? Bring Leon and the others; even if you have to drag them."

"I'm sure that won't be necessary. Kieran and Leon never miss one," Geoffrey stood from his chair. "It was good seeing you again, Melanie. Hopefully, next time I'll be able to stay longer; and meet Auron."

Melanie gave a smile this time. "I hope so, too."

Geoffrey left the woman to return to her book and headed towards the Coliseum again. He had been hoping for more information but he would take what he could get. Maybe, next time they came around, he could ask Jeanne about what was going on with Sephiroth and Sienna. She would have more information on that subject that Melanie would.

"Be careful not to buzz around too much," A voice came from behind, making him stop in his tracks. "You might find yourself ensnared in a web that you cannot escape."

Geoffrey turned. The speaker was a woman, though her face and form was covered by a large, black leather cloak with silver tassels and a hood; in her hands was a leather book.

"And are you the spider that spun the web?"

"One of many," The woman turned the book in her hands for a moment before tossing the book out to him. "Be careful of the answers you seek. In the end they could become too much for you to bear."

Geoffrey glanced at the book. "Is that right?" He lifted his head to look at the woman again but she was no longer there; just gone. He gave a frown. Something about that woman made him uneasy; and only after two sentences. That wasn't something that normally happened. He glanced down at the book again before opening it.

He almost dropped it.

The writing, he recognized it. It was Bailey's. He'd recognize it everywhere; she was the one that taught him how to read and write, after all.

 _ **I had thought, that after leaving Eraqus' training that I would forget all about the Land of Departure and those that I knew. I was happy in Radiant Garden with you and your sister and the others that I had met but it seems that fate had another tune for me to dance to.**_

 _ **There was a disturbance in the line of worlds, Princess. It's why I had to go. MY anger for what my uncle had done to me was large but he was still family. I come from a line of KeyBlade wielders; it is my duty to find the problem and fix it; I owe it to my father, at least. It pained me to leave you behind, but I'll keep you in my mind.**_

 _ **You once asked me about the other worlds but you are far too young to venture to them yet. So, instead, while I traveled about to deal with the said disturbance, I decided that I would keep a journal for you to read. I was going to give it to you when all of this was over but it seems that, once again, I have a different path to take.**_

 _ **I wanted so much to give this to you in person, Princess, but I'm afraid that I no longer can.**_

 _ **Read this, and enjoy the story. And never forget,**_

 _ **Though the road may be long and hard**_

 _ **And the trials dangerous and overpowering**_

 _ **Just have faith, and one day**_

 _ **Everything will be as it once was.**_

 _ **Everything will, once again, be right.**_

Geoffrey felt his fingers tremble. This was for Kiera. Bailey was writing this for Kiera. He wasn't going to lie and say that it was for Kairi too. It was obvious that Kiera was closer to Bailey than her sister was. Kiera wanted to be Bailey's shadow, even at such a young age. Kiera was the one that would sneak out of her room in the palace and go to Bailey's room and sleep there with her. Bailey had accepted Kiera as an adopted daughter.

But how did that woman in the hood get this? Did she have something to do with what happened with Bailey and the others? Was…was that Bailey herself?

~No,~ Geoffrey shook his head. ~If that had been Bailey then she wouldn't have left without saying so. She would have stayed to see Kiera.~ The woman in the hood obviously had something to do with the disappearances of the others. Now he just had to find out what.

Tucking the book under his arm, Geoffrey returned to the Coliseum. He gave a frown when he saw Hercules inside, holding a young man in his arms. He recognized him.

"Cloud!"

He would never forget the blond boy that would run around Radiant Garden with them as kids. He had…changed in ten years. The happy feel was gone, and not just because he was passed out in Hercules' arms. Tall with that spiky head, he was dressed head to foot in black with a long red cape and metal claw on his left hand. Over in the corner was his buster sword, covered in bandages.

"Geoffrey," Hercules turned to the other man. "When I saw Alana I figured you were here."

"What happened?" The green-haired man hurried forward to help the other man set Cloud down against the wall.

"Hades played your friend here," Phil, the small satyr, was the one to answer. "He went up against Sora in the finals of the preliminaries before that blue freak turned on him and set Cerberus loose in the arena. Alana and the others-"

"Kiera's in there?" Geoffrey demanded in shock. He took off into the arena in time to see the young girl being tossed of the back of the large, three headed hound; he caught her before she struck the ground.

"Geoffrey!" Kiera cried in relief.

"Stay here," Shoving the book into her hands, he summoned his lance before jumping into the battle.

"About damn time!" Alana cried from the hound's back feet; she and Goofy were there, trying their best to knock Cerberus off balance as Sora and Donald attacked from the front.

Geoffrey heard Sora sound relieved as he called his name; he couldn't help but smile.

He had never faced Cerberus before but he had heard stories of how Hercules took his down. Of course the young man couldn't pick up that huge hound and toss his away like the hero could but he had learned another trick. There was a pressure point right between the left and middle head that made the hound drop into submission. The hardest part was getting up on the beast's back but when he did he found the point and braced himself as the hound dropped to the ground.

Alana glared at the older man. "I call bullshit! We just got our asses handed to us and you come out and smack it in the neck?"

"Well, if you had participated in the Games last year with Kieran, Leon and I instead of sitting in the stands with Lucia and the others then you would have known about Cerberus' weak spot."

Alana gave a frown as her blade disappeared. "You know tournaments don't appeal to me; not unless there's munny involved."

Geoffrey shook his head and glanced at Sora. "You okay?"

The boy nodded. "Thanks for the help. I was getting worried there for a moment," He glanced at the black hound again. "Why did it attack like that?"

"Cerberus belongs to a guy here named Hades," Alana answered. "I've never seen him but apparently he's a total jerk; and god of the Underworld."

Sora's eyes got wide. "Seriously?!"

"He has a real problem with his nephew, Hercules," Geoffrey continued. "He's always trying something."

"But why?" Goofy asked, looking confused.

"Every family has their problems," Alana shrugged. "It's not our place to get nosey."

"Agreed," Donald nodded.

"Let's get out of here," Alana moved for the door. "I want to check on Cloud."

But the blond wasn't inside when they returned. It was just Hercules and Phil.

"I shouldn't have been worried," Phil grinned at Geoffrey.

"Nope," Kiera smiled happily.

"You didn't do too bad either, kid," The satyr looked at Sora. "I'm impressed. If you hadn't been interrupted, then I'm not so sure how that last match would have ended."

"You held your own against Cloud?" Geoffrey asked.

"You sound surprised," Sora crossed his arms.

"I am. Cloud's strength is close to Leon's and if I remember he laid you flat in Traverse Town."

"It's all thanks to Alana's training," Kiera instantly butted in as Sora's face turned a horrid shade of red. "And if we hadn't been attacked Why the Heartless in the other worlds then he would have been in some serious trouble. And don't forget that he had Donald and Goofy on his side."

Sora hung his head. "Don't make me seem useless, guys."

"Aww, they don't mean nothing by it, Sora," Alana rustled his hair around a bit. "You'll get strong enough to handle things on your own, don't worry. You're only fourteen."

"So is Kiera."

"Kiera has been training for ten years," Geoffrey told him. "You seem to forget that."

Sora sighed. "Yeah…"

"I know something that'll cheer you up,' Hercules smiled at his trainer. "Phil?"

The satyr gave in. "Fine, fine,"

As Phil dubbed Sora, Donald, and Goofy, Alana turned to Geoffrey. "So, did you find the answers that you were looking for?"

He shook his head. "Not really. I got some info about what's been going on around here but…" He looked at Kiera; she still held that book. "I had a mysterious run-in. I don't know who it is but she is playing a hand in the game."

"The game?" Alana raised a brow. "That's what we're calling it now?"

"It's all I got," Geoffrey told her.

Kiera gave a frown. "How do you know she's got a part?"

He closed his eyes. "Open the book; read the first page."

Alana watched in interest as the young girl did. The change that traveled through her face made her even more interested. From anger to shock to tears.

"It's…this is Bailey's!" Kiera closed her eyes, trying to keep her voice down as the others talked behind them. "This is her handwriting! I remember her telling me about writing her adventures down for me and Kairi!"

"Is it really hers?" Alana took a look for herself. "Where did you get this?"

"A woman in a hood appeared after I left Melanie at the café. She warned me not to get ensnared in the spider's web," He shook his head. "I'm sure that we'll run into her again in the future."

"This is a good thing," Alana smiled. "This means we're headed in the right direction, doesn't it? That woman gave it to you for a reason, Geoffrey."

"I know she did," He looked at the young teen. "Kiera, when you read it keep your mind open. Something inside that book could give us information on what happened to Bailey and the others."

Kiera nodded her head vigorously.

"There aren't gonna be any games for a while," Phil was saying, rubbing his chin. "We'll have to clean up after that last battle a bit."

"Sorry about that," Alana scratched the back of her head.

"It's not your fault," Hercules shook his head. "I'd ask you guys to stay but it seems you're on a mission," He looked at Geoffrey. "You'll be here for the games, right?"

"Of course," He nodded with a grin. "And this year is the year I beat you, Herc."

The hero gave a laugh. "I look forward to it."

Geoffrey had participated twice and each time Hercules had beaten him. After the last tournament, Geoffrey made Kieran put him under rigorous training to make sure that he didn't strike out a third time.

"Maybe I'll participate this time, too," Alana smiled. "Lucia and I were talking about it, after all."

"So will we!" Sora grinned.

Kiera shook her head. "You have your fun." Tournaments didn't appeal to her; they hadn't appealed to Bailey, either.

As the group left the Coliseum they found where Cloud had gone. He was waiting there for them on the steps in silence. Kiera giggled and ran for the blond. She remembered him from Radiant Garden. She had always feared that he and his sister had been lost in the darkness after the Garden fell. To find him, safe, it was heartwarming.

Cloud stood up and let the teen hug him. He gave a smile as he returned it half-heartedly. He had recognized Alana the moment he laid eyes on her, and Geoffrey was the only man he ever knew that had green hair. It wasn't hard to guess who the redhead with them was.

"Who'd have thought that the blondie would get stuck here," Geoffrey teased the older man. "I'm surprised at you, Cloud."

"Hmm," Cloud looked at him. "I didn't have much of a choice."

"I heard that you're stranded. We can give you a ride to Traverse Town if you want."

"Cid and Yuffie and Renee and Aerith are there," Alana told him. "As are the Heartily twins and Leon and Lucia."

"Are…are Claire, Tifa or Vincent there?" The blond asked.

Geoffrey closed his eyes. "I'm afraid not." That explained who the man was looking for. That also explained why the blond was wearing Vincent's claw on his right hand. "Still, come with us. We can get you a ship from Cid if that's what you want."

Cloud shook his head. "Jeanne and Zeke are here."

"I heard," Geoffrey nodded.

"Hard-headed, all of you," Kiera growled. "Just come with us!"

"Let the man do what he wants," Alana told her. "We'll tell the others that you're here. Maybe Renee and Yuffie can knock some sense into you."

Cloud nodded. "Maybe."

Geoffrey shook his head. "We'll keep an eye out for your sister and the others, all right? If you were able to survive the Garden, then I've no doubt they're out there as well."

"I hope so."

Geoffrey gave a frown. Cloud had clearly changed in the last ten years. Then again, just thinking about the horrors os waking up alone in a town you didn't know, fearing the death of your sister and others that you knew…Geoffrey had the others with him. Cloud had been alone. He had to endure a lot more than he did, it seemed.

Sora wanted a few words himself, it seemed, and stepped towards the blond. "So, why did you go along with him, anyway?" He had been referring to Hades.

Cloud looked back down. "I'm looking for someone. Hades promised to help. I tried to exploit the power of darkness, but it backfired. I fell into darkness, and I couldn't find the light."

~Bailey was the only one that could use the darkness without harming herself,~ Geoffrey told himself. ~She had learned to control it.~

"You'll find it." Sora told him, and Cloud looked down at him. "I'm searching, too."

"For your light?"

Sora nodded.

"Don't lose sight of it." Cloud told him, and moved past him.

"How about a rematch sometime?" Sora called after him. "No dark powers involved!"

Cloud smirked. "I think I'll pass."

"Should we really just leave him here?" Kiera asked. "We should make him come with us. He could get a new ship from Cid and everything.

"He's not alone here," Geoffrey told her. "Jeanne and Zeke are also here so he's choosing to stay. Why uproot what he's made him home here and drag him somewhere else. Let's concentrate on our mission for now."

"Besides, we'll tell the others. I have no doubt that Yuffie and Aerith will hurry here the first chance they get to see him." Alana stretched her arms out. "We now have a few more people to look for here," She glanced at Geoffrey. "Are you sure we're gonna find them all?"

Geoffrey closed his eyes. "We have to."

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	8. Chapter 7

**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(**

 **Lucia, Kieran, Rayna, Claire, Renee, Zeke, Sienna, Jeanne, Melanie, and Charel are my OC characters from my Final Fantasy stories!**

 _ **Chapter Seven**_

 _ **A Quick Reunion**_

 **Kiera stared at the ceiling above her head.** The group had been in Traverse Town for two days now, taking a swift break while Cid worked on the second Gummi Ship. He was asked to just install a jump block but he decided to add a few more tune-ups. Renee was doing the same to Geoffrey's ship, though Yuffie was doing most of that work for her pregnant aunt while she instructed from behind. The children were due, soon, putting both Renee and Cid on edge but they were still as helpful as ever, even though the man's comments were getting sharper and sharper. Kiera wanted to be here when the babies were born, triples they were to be, but with the mission she had given herself, she doubted that she would be. Especially after finding this.

The book that Geoffrey had given her in Olympus had been read over three times already. Kiera had no doubt that this was Bailey's handwriting; her words. This was the book that her guardian told her that she was writing for her; the one that she never got the chance to give before disappearing from the face of the universe. Finally having it…it made the young girl want to cry. She missed her so much.

She missed Kairi, too, but apparently her sister didn't feel the same. According to Sora, Kairi didn't remember anything about Kiera or Bailey or anything else that she had before arriving at Destiny Islands. What had made her sister forget their home? Their friends? Her? Why did Kairi forget her?

Kiera had so many questions but no answers. It just wasn't fair. Why had something like this happened to her and the ones she cared for? Why were they burdened with pain like this?

Kiera wanted to cry again, and scream to let her anger out, but she closed her eyes and held the book to her chest, last words echoing in her head.

 _ **And never forget,**_

 _ **Though the road may be long and hard**_

 _ **And the trials dangerous and overpowering**_

 _ **Just have faith, and one day**_

 _ **Everything will be as it once was.**_

 _ **Everything will, once again, be right.**_

She just needed to have faith. She would find all her answers as her journey continued. She would find her sister and Bailey and all the others that were lost. She would have her home again, too. She just needed to have faith.

~Now I'm starting to sound like Geoffrey,~ She sighed to herself. The comment made her smile. There was nothing wrong with that but it just wasn't her style. She could handle acting like Alana, but Geoffrey was just on a whole other level. The one closest to him now that Lance wasn't around was either Kieran or Leon; Leon being the first in line. Kieran's personality was just too hotheaded for Geoffrey.

Kiera gave a small smile as she stood from her bed. She had been locked in her room since they had returned, leaving Geoffrey and the others to take care of Sora and the king's men. She should be helping Sora train or…something like that. She knew that pity and sorrow would get her nowhere in events like this. She had to be strong; had to stay strong.

Setting the book aside for now, Kiera locked the door behind her. Lucia would most likely be with Squall in their Secret Underground Cavern just under Merlin's home; then again it wasn't exactly secret anymore. Everyone pretty much knew about it by now. When Squall was needed, that's pretty much where you could find him if he wasn't in his room. Lucia called it his 'man cave'.

The air was cool tonight and not much was happening in the streets. It was rather late, but Kiera still expected to see Kieran or Rayna wandering around, on guard for the Heartless at any time. It was strange; she didn't run across any Heartless in the Second District, either. This was their favorite hangout, usually. She didn't get her hopes up, though. She knew that there was no way that the Heartless would give up Traverse Town so easily.

Kiera gave a frown as she paused in front of the fountain just outside of the apartments. If locking the heart of Wonderland and the Deep Jungle had removed the Heartless from those worlds the that meant that Traverse Town would have one too, right? If they could lock this one, then her worry for Leon and the others while they were out in the other worlds would be smaller; at least a little. But where could this one be? Merlin might know; or at least he could steer her in the right direction, couldn't he?

"Kairi!" The voice made Kiera lift her head. She didn't know why but being called her sister's name annoyed her to no ends. "Kairi!"

She pulled a face and turned. "I've told you before, Sora, I'm…" Her voice stopped and she frowned. "You're not Sora."

"And you're not Kairi."

About 15, he had long silver hair with a yellow vest with a large collar and blue trim. With black shorts reaching past his knees and white and blue shoes, he held a cocky air about him.

The boy wore a frown that mirrored her own. "Who are you?"

"Give your name and I shall give you mine."

He crossed his arms. "Riku."

"Riku, huh?" Kiera repeated the name. This was who Sora was looking for; this was another friend of her sister's. "You're the one that Sora's been looking for."

"Sora?" Riku raised his brows, his arms falling to his side. "You know Sora?"

"Vaguely," She replied. "He's raised up quite the storm, searching for you, you know."

The boy continued to frown. "Why do you look like Kairi?"

Kiera turned from him and began to walk away. "I'll let Sora explain it," She glanced over her shoulder at him. "You want to see him, don't you?"

Riku opened his mouth to reply but the girl had begun to walk again, making his frown deepen. She looked like Kairi, yes, but there was no way they were the same person. Their attitudes were completely opposite of each other.

Their movement to the Third District was silent and uneventful; Kiera was actually thankful to find the Heartless in the next area. Sora was there, currently taking battle lessons from Alana.

"Now, when surrounded like this," The older teen was saying from her seat on the wall. "It's best to let them make the first move. Keep your eyes and ears open and be ready for everything and anything."

"We've been at this for hours," Sora hung his head. "Can't we take a break?"

"Not until you get through a fight without getting hit. You want to be a KeyBlade Master, right? You won't survive out there without the proper skills, little man."

While the boy argued with the woman on the wall, the Heartless decided to make a move and rushed for his turned back. Kiera gave a cry and went to run forward but Riku moved first, whipping out a blade of his own; it looked more like a wing than a sword.

Riku struck a pose after killing the small group of Heartless. He turned to Sora, swinging his sword. "There you are. What's going on?"

"Riku!" Sora exclaimed as he walked up to him and pulled on his cheeks.

"Hey, hey, cut it out." Riku pushed him away.

"I take it this is one of the two he's been looking for?" Alana had left the wall and moved to join Kiera as the two boys talked.

"It appears so," Kiera glanced around the area. "Where are Donald and Goofy?"

"Geoffrey has placed the King's men under some of their own training for the moment," Alana told her. "He was going to put Sora under it but I saved him."

Kiera gave a shudder. Geoffrey's training was worse that Leon's.

Sora looked so happy. "Wait a sec. Where's Kairi?"

Riku gave him a look. "I thought that she was with you. I thought that girl over there was her, but apparently not," He glanced at Kiera. "You want to tell me what exactly is going on here? Why does she look like Kairi?"

Kiera crossed her arms and let Sora explain like she had said she would. Alana watched with a grin. If this was one of Sora's friends, then that meant that they were on the right track. If they found one, then they were going to find Kairi too; and the others.

"So…she claims to be Kairi's sister, huh?" Riku gave a frown as he looked at her. "And you believe her?"

Kiera gave a frown. "I don't care if you believe me or not. I lost a sister ten years ago during the destruction of my world. The fact that you and Sora both think I'm someone else explains enough. Take it or leave it."

"Forgive her," Alana smiled. "She doesn't like new people. It takes a while to warm up to her."

"Hmm." Riku turned back around. "Anyway, Don't worry. I'm sure Kairi made it off the Island too. We're finally free. Hey, she might even be looking for us now." A Heartless pulled itself out of the ground, and Sora summoned his KeyBlade. "We'll all be together again soon. Don't worry. Just leave everything to me. I know this-" He was cut off by Sora attacking a heartless.

Alana and Kiera couldn't help but smirk as Sora struck a pose in front of his friend.

"Leave it to who?" Sora asked.

"Sora, what did you-" Riku looked back at him, and walked closer to him.

"Keira and I have been looking for you. And Kairi too. With some help. Alana's the one that's been training me. Geoffrey are helping the others."

Kiera couldn't help but smile at Sora's excitement in talking to Riku again. She gave a small frown, though, at Riku's reaction. He didn't seem to like the thought of Sora having gathered a few more friends.

"We've visited so many places and worlds, looking for you." Sora continued.

"Really? Well, what do you know? I never would have guessed." Riku gave a grin. "What's up with that weird thing on your shoulder?"

"It's called a KeyBlade," Alana answered. "Sora and Kiera both have one. It's the only way to lock the worlds hearts away from the Heartless.

"So, this is called a KeyBlade?" Riku questioned, and they all looked and saw that Riku held Sora's KeyBlade.

"Huh? Hey give it back!" Sora jumped at him, but Riku jumped back, making Sora fall. He looked at it a bit longer.

"Catch." Riku threw it back to him.

"Okay, so, you're coming with us, right?" Sora asked. "We've got this awesome rocket. Wait until you see it. You can train with Alana and Geoffrey, too. Geoffrey doesn't talk a lot and his training is ridiculously hard but you should be able to get the hang of it."

"So are you trying to tell me that my training isn't hard enough?" Alana looked at the younger teen. "So, I need to kick it up a few notches, do I?"

Sora waved his hands at her as Kiera laughed. "No, that's now what I meant! You're training is really helpful."

Kiera turned to Riku as the duo continued to argue but gave a frown. "Your friend's gone, Sora."

"What?" Sora turned and gave a frown. "Where did he go?"

"Not very polite, is he?" Alana placed a hand on her hip.

Sora hung his head. "Oh well. At least he's okay. And who knows. Maybe we'll run into Kairi soon, too."

"Wait, that's it?" Kiera cocked a brow. "You've been searching relentlessly for this guy and then you shrug off his disappearance like it was nothing? And the guy just disappears like it was nothing? You might want to work on your friends a bit there, Sora."

"Oh, Riku's not that bad. You just have to get used to him," The younger teen told her. "He's actually really cool when you get to know him."

"I'm sure."

Alana gave Kiera a soft push and continued to smile. "Let's call the training to a halt for the day. Cid wants to meet up with us in that old building up there."

"The storage room?" Kiera raised a brow. "Why there?"

"Leon and the others have decided to give it to Sora and the kings men to use when they are here in Traverse Town. Unfortunately, our apartments aren't large enough to fit all of us in one place."

"I see," Kiera glanced at the boy beside her. "Ready?"

Sora nodded. "Sure."

Moving up the stairs to the small building that Alana had been talking about they found Aerith and Lucia rearrange beds in the room as Leon and Cid spoke. It came to a halt when the trio entered.

"Ahh, there she is," Cid looked at Alana.

"Got a question for me?" the young woman asked, taking a seat on one of the tables.

"Have you heard anything about Maleficent since leaving Traverse Town?" Leon asked her.

Alana's face got dark. "Should I have?"

"Has she shown her face again?" Keira asked.

"Who's Maleficent?" Sora asked, glancing at them all.

Cid looked at him like he was an idiot. "A witch man. She's a Witch!"

"She's the reason why this town is full of heartless." Leon explained. "Don't take her lightly."

"She's been using Heartless for years." Aerith told them.

"We all lost our world, thanks to her." Leon sounded cold, and he opened his eyes to see the look on Kiera's face. Lucia moved forward and placed a hand on her head.

"One day," Cid continued. "A Swarm of heartless took over our world! Keira wasn't old or strong enough to do anything, so, we grabbed her, and I came here with these guys."

"That was over nine years ago." Leon told him.

"Until Keira was old and responsible enough to take control of the Castle, our Ruler was Ansem, her Uncle. He dedicated his life to studying the heartless." Alana decided to speak again.

"His report should tell us how to defeat the heartless." Cid told.

"Where is this report?" Sora questioned.

"We don't know." Leon answered. "It got scattered when our world was taken over.

Cid snorted. "I'm sure that Maleficent got most of them."

Sora took in Kiera's look of rage. She undoubtedly hated Maleficent for everything that happened to her home.

"I've been thinking," Lucia began, running a hand over Kiera's head again. "You said that you locked two worlds from the Heartless. That means this town has a KeyHole as well, right?"

"I'm sure it does somewhere," Alana nodded. "Finding it is the hard part of it."

"If only someone had a clue," Sora gave a frown. "Do you think Merlin would know?"

"May-" Leon's voice was cut off as Donald burst into the room, panic in his voice.

"Sora! We found the KeyHole!"

Everyone stared at the white duck in shock. Alana gave a frown. "Bullshit."

"Geoffrey and Goofy are fighting that armor again! We need help!"

"Bullshit." Lucia echoed the younger woman.

"Duty calls." Sora gave a wave before following the duck out the door.

Kiera pulled a face. "You don't think they actually found it, do you?"

"It is Geoffrey we're talking about," Cid gave a smirk. "That boy could find a needle in a haystack."

"That's a scary thought," Aerith sighed.

"I suppose we should go help, shouldn't we?" Kiera sighed.

"Eh, let's let the boys do the hard work this time," Alana shrugged. "We'll take care of the next one."

Kiera gave a nod and glanced at the window. Maleficent was, indeed, the one that had caused the destruction of her home world but she was also in Bailey's Book. The dark witch had been interested in the darkness that Bailey could control. The two of them had several run-ins, according to the logs in the book. In fact, Bailey's last notes ended with an appearance of Maleficent.

Kiera was determined to get answers when they ran into the dark witch. For both her kingdom and for Bailey.

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	9. Chapter 8

**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(**

 **Lucia, Kieran, Rayna, Claire, Renee, Zeke, Sienna, Jeanne, Melanie, and Charel are my OC characters from my Final Fantasy stories!**

 **This chapter is for you, Loveless 1018. Welcome back!**

 _ **Chapter Eight**_

 _ **I Hate Sand!**_

" **Oh Lord, it's everywhere!"**

"Yes, we can see that."

"It'll get in my shoes-"

"Are you that worried about it?"

"-And in places that'll take me hours to clear out!"

"Do you want to just stay on the ship?"

Alana shook her head. "Of course not. You'll just have to carry me, Geoffrey!" She hopped on her friend's back as Kiera laughed. She glanced at Sora. "I'd ask you to carry me but I'm afraid you're too small still, kid."

Sora's face fell as he glanced at Kiera. "How do you deal with her?"

"We ignore her more than anything else."

Geoffrey gave a sigh and glanced around the area. They had arrived at what appeared to be a city in the desert, a large palace could be seen just behind it. The streets looked abandoned, though. Not even Heartless were seen lurking around.

"Well, what should we do now?"

Geoffrey thought as he looked at Kiera for a moment, his mind running clearly through his eyes. "Kiera how about you go with Donald and Goofy this time while Alana and I go with Sora."

Kiera looked surprised. Normally either Geoffrey or Alana was with her but he plainly put her with Donald and Goofy on her own. She wasn't going to complain but it was a bit strange on her friend's part. Maybe this was a test of theirs to see if she was ready to go off on her own without one of them!

"Got it," She turned and began to lead the way to the right of the city. "Let's go, guys."

Sora watched them leave. "Is she going to be alright?"

"She's gotta grow up some time," Alana smiled from Geoffrey's back.

"You have to struggle to improve," Geoffrey told him. "Which is why the two of us are with you today."

Sora felt his face pale. "W-what do you mean?"

"You don't expect me to help fight with this on my back, do you?" He motioned at Alana with his head; she gave a cheeky grin. "You'll be taking care of the Heartless in this place, Sora."

His mouth dropped open. "So this…it was a set-up, wasn't it?!"

"You can call it whatever you like," Alana teased. "Just remember that it's training. If it gets to be too much for you then I'll hop down and help," She glanced at the sand. "Please don't make me do that."

Sora looked at her with a frown. She actually really didn't like sand. He found himself wondering what would have happened if she had been on Destiny Island with him and the others. Would she still have had a problem with the beach?

Shaking the thought from his head, he set off into the city, Geoffrey right behind him, matching his pace even with Alana on his back. Weird Heartless with turbans and swords were the enemies in this world so it put Sora on defense; he really didn't want to get hit by one of those blades.

"Geoffrey, I have a question," Sora glanced over at the older teen that stood off to the side, Alana still on his back; she was firing magic at the Heartless, though, giving Sora a bit of help. "I thought that the Keyblade was the only weapon that could hurt the Heartless. How do your weapons do it too? And Leon's Gunblade and the others?"

Geoffrey closed his eyes for a moment. "Lucient and Selia were able to attack the Heartless as well. Bailey had given them each a Keychain meant for her Keyblade that they attached to their own weapons. In turn, they gave them to us before they disappeared. Cid and Renee were able to make replicas that the others have attached to their own weapons as well. It takes a bit longer for the others to destroy the Heartless due to the replicas not being actual Keychains but they work in the end and that's all that matters."

"These other Keyblade wielders that you keep talking about…just where are they now?"

"As I've told you before," Alana began. "We don't know. That's one of the whole reasons why we're searching out here. We're gonna find them, just like you're going to find your friends."

"But it's been nearly ten years now, right?" Sora lowered his Keyblade. "Are you sure they're even out there anymore?"

Alana gave a growl but Geoffrey's chuckle halted her words. "You never met them so you don't understand. Lucient will protect those around him until he died and even that is impossible. They're still out there somewhere, fighting. I know it; I can feel it. You just have to have faith. Always have faith. You'll search for your friends until you find answers, won't you?"

Sora gave a nod. "Yeah…yeah, I will. I want to help you find your friends, too. I won't stop until we find them all!"

Alana gave the younger teen an affectionate smile. ~Sora…thank you…~

"Hello?" A timid voice called from their right and they found a woman in blue with long black hair standing up from behind a set of pots and barrels. She didn't look like a regular commoner. "Is anyone there?"

"Are you alright?" Geoffrey approached her.

The young woman nodded. "Yes; those creatures were after me. Thank you for saving me." She gave an incline of her head. "I'm Jasmine. My father is the Sultan of Agrabah."

"So, you're a princess," Alana gripped her chin in thought.

"Yes. But my father has been deposed of by Jafar, who now controls the city."

"Jafar?" Sora questioned.

"You haven't heard of him? He's the Royal Vizier. He's gained evil powers, and taken control of Agrabah. He's desperately searching for something. Something he calls 'The Keyhole.' Jafar caught me trying to escape, but _he_ helped me. We were hiding nearby, but he left a while ago to go take care of something. Oh, I hope Aladdin's all right."

"Aladdin? Where might I find this street Rat?" They looked up behind them, and saw a man in robes of red and black, a large, golden staff in the shape of a cobra in his hands; Heartless stood beside him like guards. Jafar. "Jasmine, allow me to find you more suitable company, my dear Princess. These little rats won't do, you see."

"Jasmine, get out of here," Geoffrey told the princess, setting Alana down on the ground. The woman gave a frown but she stood up, gripping her blade in her hands.

"Go hide until we come find you." Sora added.

"Ah, yes, the boy that holds one of the 'Keys'." Jafar only snickered as more Heartless showed up. He seemed to disappear as the battle commenced and Geoffrey wore a frown on his face.

"Something's…weird."

"Weird?" Alana repeated. "How so? He's just an old pervert after a princess. You hear about it all the time in stories"

"No, there's something else; I can feel it."

"Well, you can 'feel it' as we find Jasmine again." Alana told him.

"But how do we find her?" Sora asked. "This city is-"

"Guys! Hey guys!" Kiera's voice made them all turn to watch as the teen ran up with Donald and Goofy behind her. "You're not going to believe this! We found a magic carpet!"

Alana pulled a blank face. "A magic carpet."

"Yeah! It was stuck underneath a dresser is some guy's…I guess you could call it a house. Anyway, we let it go."

"Are you…suffering from too much heat, Kiera?" Alana went to go place her hand on the girl's forehead but Kiera brushed it away, her face growing pink.

"It was a flying carpet, I'm telling you!" Kiera told her. "Donald and Goofy saw it, too."

"We sure did!" Goofy smiled as Donald nodded.

Kiera gave Alana a smirk. "It flew off towards the desert! We need to follow it."

"But why would we follow it?" Alana asked.

"Who cares?" The princess growled. "I just want to ride it! Let's go!"

"This isn't time for fun and games, Kiera. We-"

"Fine," Geoffrey looked at Sora, cutting Alana off. "Take the two of them to find the carpet. We'll stay here and look for Jasmine some more."

"But…this isn't the time for games."

"We don't have a lead. Who knows? Maybe you'll find one."

"Great! Let's go, Sora!"

As Kiera led Sora off, Alana gave Geoffrey a questioning look. The man shrugged. "She's still a kid. Forcing her to fight Heartless constantly will change her; we don't need another stiff on our hands."

"Yeah," Alana laughed as she turned. "You're good enough to fill that part on your own."

Geoffrey stared at her before looking at Donald and Goofy. "Alright, guys, here's the plan."

Kiera struck a smug pose as they exited the city. Alana and Sora both let their mouths drop open. Standing there at the edge of the city, as if waiting on them, was a blue and red carpet. Alana couldn't believe her eyes.

"It's…it's actually moving."

"I told you!" Kiera's face resembled that of a little girl that had just found a lost puppy. "Oh, please say that we can keep it!"

"We can't take it with us, Kiera," Alana told her "You know that."

"Aww, that's no fun. Let's at least ride it then!"

Sora gave it a frown. "I don't know. Is it safe?" The Carpet was the one to answer that, laying itself flat, as if waiting for them to get on. "Can it carry all three of us?"

"We're not that heavy, you know," Alana gave a growl, placing herself on the carpet. "Get on and let's get this over with so we can return to help Geoffrey."

"Aww, Geo's got it," Kiera hopped up next to her. "Relax and stop worrying, Alana."

Alana gave the younger teen a smile. "When did you become so adventurous and happy, Kiera? Finally got tired of moping around?"

"Can it!"

Sora couldn't help but laugh as he joined them on the carpet. His smile got even bigger as Alana attached herself to his back. His laughter grew as the carpet decided to do a flip and catch them again; Kiera's laughter was as loud as his but Alana's scream was muffled as she buried her face into Sora's back, not wanting to watch as they flew through the air. She had attached herself to him much like she had to Geoffrey, her arms clenched tightly around his waist. He tried to ignore the heat he felt rising on his face.

The carpet seemed determined to get somewhere fast, though, and brought them to a strange area where a young man in white pants and a blue vest was having trouble with some heartless. Kiera wasted no time in jumping off to take care of the Heartless and Sora went to help her but Alana still had a tight grip on him, refusing to let the boy off the carpet; she wasn't stepping in that sand.

"Come on, Alana, we have to help."

"No we don't," She didn't release her grip on him. "She-she can handle herself just fine."

Sora glanced at her. "You really don't like sand, do you?"

"N-no I don't." She gave a frown. "And I don't like flying, either."

"We fly in the gummi ships all the time!"

"In there I have a seatbelt and Geoffrey doesn't do flips!" She cried. "Oh god, I think I'm going to be sick."

"Genie, get rid of these guys!"

At the voice, both of them glanced over to see that the boy that was being attacked had pulled out a golden lamp and began to rub it. At his words, a large ghost-like form, big and blue, popped out with a large stretch. "Wish number one coming right up!" He snapped his fingers, and all of the heartless disappeared.

"What in the world?!" Kiera cried as the Heartless disappeared, glancing at the young man. "How did you do that?"

"Better yet," Sora called to him. "What are you doing out here?"

The man, Aladdin as they soon learned, was from Agrabah and search for treasure. "Just paid a visit to the Cave of Wonders. I found that Magic Carpet. And this lamp. Legend has it that whoever holds this lamp can summon the-"

Genie popped back up. "Please, kid, leave the intros to a professional. The one, the only GENIE OF THE LAMP! Rub-a-dub-dub the lamp and have your dearest wishes granted. Today's winner…Aladdin!"

"Any wish?" Kiera asked, looking interested.

"Patience," Genie began. "My pretty, little friend! Any three wishes. A one wish, a two wish, a three wish. Then I make like a banana and split. Our lucky winner made his first wish," He then bent down and whispered to Sora. "And let me tell you, what a doozy that wish was-" He moved away. "So he has two left. So, master, what'll you have for wish number two?"

Aladdin thought for a moment. "How about making me a fabulously wealthy Prince?"

"Oooh! Money! Royalty! Fame! Why didn't I think of that? Okay! You asked for it! A hundred servants and a hundred camels loaded with gold! Just say the word, and I'll deliver it in 30 minutes or less or your meals free. Hey, I'll even throw in a cappuccino."

Aladdin laughed. "No thanks."

"Okay."

"I think I'll put that in hold until we reach Agrabah."

"Why a Prince?" Kiera asked him. "Being royalty isn't all that fun, you know."

"It's not exactly for me. You see, there's this girl in Agrabah named Jasmine. But she's a Princess, and I'm…Aw, she could never fall for a guy like me."

"Oh," Alana then pulled a face. "Princess?"

"Uh-oh…" Sora looked at the other boy from the carpet he and Alana still sat on. "Jasmine's in trouble! Jafar is after her. We have friends in the city trying to find her but…"

"In danger?!" Aladdin sounded furious. "Let's go!"

Amazingly, all four of them were able to fit on the carpet, Alana still gripping to Sora like death. Genie flew along beside them, a huge grin on his face.

"Ah, fresh air! The great outdoors!"

"I guess you don't get out much, huh?" Sora asked him.

"Comes with the job," Genie answered. "Phenomenal Cosmic Powers. Itty-bitty living space. It's always three wishes, then back to my portable prison. I'm lucky to see the light of day every century or two…"

Aladdin got an idea. "Say, Genie. What if I use my last wish to free you from the lamp? What do you think?"

Genie's face lit up. "You'd do that?"

"Genie, it's a promise. Right after we help Jasmine."

"So," Kiera leaned closer to the blue friend beside them. "Any three, wishes, right?"

"Sort of. I can't make people fall in love and I don't bring people back from the dead. It's not a pretty sight. I don't like doing it!"

"Could you…perhaps…find someone?"

"That's easy!"

"Kiera," Alana gave the younger teen a look but Kiera ignored her.

"Even if…say, they're not from this world?"

"Kiera!" Alana's voice was hard this time, making the other turn to her.

"Come on, Alana! This is our chance! We could find them all!"

"We've already talked about this," Alana growled. "Or do we need to finish this conversation when we reunite with Geoffrey?"

Kiera gave a grunt and crossed her arms. She knew that using something like Genie in this world was a bad idea but…one little wish couldn't hurt, could it? It couldn't involve them in tampering the worlds that much, could it?

They reached Agrabah and went searching through the city like crazy. They found Geoffrey with Donald and Goofy before the palace gates, Jasmine cowering behind the trio as Jafar laughed at them; heartless encircled them all.

"Alana! Kiera!" Geoffrey called out.

"Sora!" The King's guards were right beside him.

"Setting you sights a little high, aren't you boy?" Jafar yelled, turning to face them. "Back to your hole street rat. I will not allow you to trouble the Princess any longer."

"Jasmine!" Aladdin yelled.

"I'm so sorry, Aladdin!" Jasmine yelled to them.

"Genie," Aladdin whispered silently as he rubbed the lamp again. "Help Jasmine, please!"

Keira giggled, and it made Jafar turn around. Genie now held Jasmine, smiling pleasantly. "One wish left! You're making this really easy, you know."

"So sorry boy. I'm afraid that your second wish has been denied." Aladdin looked at his hand, and saw that Iago now had the lamp, and was giving it to Jafar.

"Wow, who would have seen that coming?" Geoffrey sighed, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry Al." Genie said as he dropped Jasmine. Jasmine fell into a stone pot.

"And now, I bid you all farewell. Attack!" Jafar disappeared, and the battle began.

The vizier was controlling the pots and somehow they all turned into a huge centipede like heartless. The group hacked away with their weapons, trying to find out which one Jasmine's voice was crying for help from but in the end it turned out to be useless. Jafar, and Jasmine, were both gone.

"Jasmine!" Aladdin yelled, but all they heard was Jafar's laugh. "To the Desert! Come on, let's move!"

"But, Aladdin, Keira's hurt. Let's take care of her first." Sora told him, and Aladdin came back to see that she was indeed hurt.

"Oh no, I'm fine, really. Donald can cast Cure, and I'll be just fine, really." Keira told them with a smile as Donald indeed, cured her. Aladdin helped her up.

"Sorry about all this; and I'm sorry you got hurt."

"It's no problem, really," Kiera assured him. "It was just a cut, that's all."

"Just proves that you've got some more training in dodging coming up, that's all," Alana called from Geoffrey's back; the moment the battle was over she was on her friend's back again, glaring hatefully at the sand.

Sora, ignoring the feeling of disappointment in his stomach, glanced at Aladdin. "Where would he take Jasmine?"

"There's only one place," Aladdin hung his head. "Back to the Cave of Wonders."

"Then there's a problem," Geoffrey frowned. "All seven of us can't go."

"He's right," Kiera nodded. "The carpet could only hold four of us, and barely that. Some of us will have to stay here."

"Well, I'm going," Aladdin announced.

"Same here," Sora nodded, crossing his arms.

"But the keyhole might be here in the city, so Kiera…you'll have to stay here with me," Geoffrey told the other Keyblade wielder.

"Aww, alright," She glanced at Aladdin. "But I get to ride the magic carpet again when all of this is over, got it?"

Aladdin gave a laugh. "I'm sure he won't mind."

"I'll go with Sora and Aladdin," Goofy grinned.

Alana gave a frown. "I guess I'll go with you guys, too."

"Are you sure?" Sora asked. He remembered how pale her face had been on the way back on the carpet.

"I can't let you go without either me or Geoffrey," Alana told him. "You'd get hurt too fast. "Besides…I'd rather fly than walk in sand."

"Now that that's settled," Donald turned to Kiera and Geoffrey. "Let's try and find that keyhole!"

Sora couldn't help but smile as they all climbed onto the magic carpet again. Alana had grabbed ahold of him again, trying not to look around as they flew through the air.

"Are you sure you're alright, Alana? Do you want us to take you back?"

"Please," She huffed, not removing her face from his back. "I'd never be able to look Geoffrey in the face again!"

Sora grinned. He wasn't sure why, but there was a strange feeling in his stomach right now. It was almost as if…as if he liked the way she was holding onto him…

The Cave of Wonders turned out to be a huge mound of sand that was shaped into the head of a Tiger. Jafar had done something to the entrance, though, and it was attacking them, refusing to let anyone inside. Heartless littered the ground around it, making it hard for the group to attack the jeweled eyes that were controlling the Tiger's head but in the end Aladdin was able to crush the jewels and release the entrance from Heartless control.

"Oh, thank god!" Alana cried, dropping to her knees inside the cave. It was all stone, no sand to be seen.

"You're a weird one, aren't you?" Aladdin chuckled.

"No, I just don't like sand," Alana told him. "My home was always stone or grass; we don't even have a beach or a lake."

"That's weird," The young man told her. "Really weird."

"So is living in the sand, desert-boy."

"So," Goofy took a step forward, looking through the Cave of Wonders. "If they're in here, where do you think Jafar took her?"

"If he brought her here, then he's more than likely in the Treasure Room," Aladdin glanced at them all. "You can swim, right?"

"Swim?" Sora raised a brow.

"Water in a desert?" Alana perked her head up. "This I got to see."

Underneath the upper level of the Cave of Wonders was completely underwater. Apparently when Aladdin had been here before, he had to solve puzzles and other things to get through the cave and into the treasure room where he found the lamp. The young man remembered most of the tricks from before and soon they were there inside the treasure room.

Alana's mouth dropped open at the sight of all the gold. "Oh my god…" She had the sudden urge to start stuffing the gold and jewels into her pockets. With this…when they got their world back from the Heartless then none of the orphans would have to live on the streets poor anymore. With this gold they could do so much to fix things that no one would be left out. With this, even if it were only a few pieces, things could change when they all got back home again…

"Alana?" She turned at the voice to see that Sora had moved towards her; Aladdin and Goofy were by the other fireplace, talking and getting ready for the fight they all knew was about to happen. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm just…thinking."

Sora glanced at the gold himself. "Aladdin said that if we were to take anything out of this Cave then that Tiger-Head out there would eat us."

"Oh? And he'll know if I take something, will he?" She gave a frown. "With even just a small amount I could fix everything back home; when we finally get it back. Bailey and a few others, like Cid and Renee, took care of all of this but with even a little gold we could-"

"I know that you want it for a good cause, but that doesn't change the fact that it's not ours to take." Sora gave her a sympathetic look. "We don't even know if you'd be able to take it out of this world. What would be the point of fighting for it if we can't leave with it?"

Alana felt her shoulders slump forward. "Yeah…I guess you're right…"

He gave her a smile. "Don't worry, everything will work out in the end. After all of this is over then everything will go back to normal and you can take care of things then. Right now, just focus on the task at hand."

She gave him a grin. "Wow, look at the twelve-year-old taking charge. I'm impressed."

Sora gave her a look, trying to ignore it as his cheeks grew red. "I'm fourteen."

"And yet still so short."

"Hey, you're only an inch taller!"

"So? You're still short."

Sora gave a grumble and crossed his arms. "You'll regret it. One day I'll be taller than you and then you'll regret ever making fun of my height."

"Yeah, well, until then, shorty," She plopped an arm on his head. "Learn to take a joke; your anger takes away all your cuteness."

Sora's mouth dropped open and went to say something else but the older teen had already walked away, joining Aladdin and Goofy, ready to rescue Jasmine from the enemy.

On the other side of the door was indeed Jafar with Jasmine and Genie and it seemed that the blue guy had revealed the Keyhole to the Vizier. With the three of them, though, was another figure. One that Alana recognized.

"Maleficent!" Alana roared, glaring at the woman in black before them. She had only seen the witch once, the day that Radiant Garden was turned into Hollow Bastion.

"Is it her?" Sora asked.

His answer was the woman in black disappearing, leaving them with just Jafar.

"Jafar, let Jasmine go!" Aladdin demanded.

"Not a chance," The Vizier responded. "You see, she's a Princess…One of Seven who somehow hold the Key to opening the Door."

Goofy and Alana both looked puzzled. "Open…"

"The Door?"

Alana had a bad feeling about that. Anything that had to do with Princesses and some doorway and Keyblades could only mean more and more trouble. She suddenly had a worrying feeling about Kiera.

"But you fools won't live to see what lies beyond it," Jafar continued as he floated into the air. "Genie! My second wish. Crush them!" Genie didn't look very happy.

"Genie," Aladdin yelled. "No!

"Sorry, Al. The one with the Lamp calls the shots. I don't have a choice."

Jafar cut off all the exits, and the battle began. The battle was short, due to the enraged position that Aladdin was in. Not only had Jafar attacked and captured the one that he was in love with he had also taken Genie from him and was forcing him to fight against his will.

The worst part of this battle was that Jafar liked to fly around, leaving most attacks to magic or jumping off of the ledges on the side of the rooms to land blows.

After the battle, they all ran to Jasmine, thinking Jafar was done for, but he had one last trick.

"Genie! My final wish! I want you to make me, an all-powerful Genie!"

Genie looked scared, but had to grant the wish. Jafar disappeared down in a lava-filled chamber below, and Alana followed him, leaving the others to follow her. When they got down there, Jafar was nowhere to be seen, until he popped up out of the Lava. Huge and red, he definitely looked more like a Genie than the blue one did.

"How in the world are we supposed to defeat that?"

"Simple," Aladdin grinned. "We just need to get that lamp!" He pointed at a parrot that was carrying a black lamp in its claws. "Can you distract Jafar?"

"On it," Alana grinned. "Sora, Goofy, you ready?"

Forcing all of the Vizier's attention on the three of them, Aladdin was able to swipe the lamp from Iago in almost no time at all.

"Phenomenal cosmic powers," Aladdin grinned as he looked at the black lamp in his hands. "Itty-bitty living space."

Alana couldn't help but give a squeal before grabbing Aladdin and Goofy in a hug. "We did it!"

Sora grinned happily too. "Good, now let's go lock that Keyhole up and get back to the others."

"Jasmine?" Aladdin called as they arrived back out of the hole. "Jasmine!" He looked around for her hysterically as Sora locked the Keyhole.

"Someone must have grabbed her," Alana growled. "Maleficent must have come back for her."

"We have to find her!" Aladdin told her as the Cave began to fall in around them.

"Whoa," Goofy raised his shield up over his head. "We better get out of here!"

"Jasmine!" Aladdin yelled, trying to get off the Carpet, but the others held him on as they began to fly away; even Alana had grabbed him.

They arrived back in Agrabah to see that the Heartless had all disappeared. Geoffrey and the others weren't far from the entrance of the city, waiting on them. Alana filled the other trio in on all that had happened as Aladdin let them into his home and spoke with Sora.

"So, Jasmine's no longer in Agrabah." Aladdin stood up. "Sora, let's go find her."

Sora glanced at Geoffrey and saw the frown on the older teen's face. "I'm sorry. I can't take you with us.

"Wh-why not?" Aladdin looked hurt.

"If we were to just willingly take you out of your world we would get in some serious trouble," Alana told him. "I know you want to go and find Jasmine but taking you with us would cause a disturbance; the Heartless might even find their way back into Agrabah."

"Don't worry," Geoffrey told the other. "We'll bring Jasmine back; soon."

"Uh, earth to Al. Hello?" Genie hit him on the back. "You still have one wish left. Look, just say the word. Ask me to find Jasmine for you."

"I…I wish…" Genie was getting ready for it. "For your freedom Genie."

Sora smiled while Genie's mouth dropped open. "Al!" His golden cuffs fell off, and he now had legs instead of the little wisp of air.

"A deals a deal Genie," Aladdin looked up at him. "Now you can go anywhere you want. You're your own master. But, if you can, it'd be great if you could go along with them and help Sora and the others find Jasmine."

"Sorry Al, I'm done taking orders from others." Genie turned his back on them, and Aladdin's head fell as Keira smiled. "But, a favor, that's entirely different," He looked over his shoulder at them. "I guess I could give that a try. After all," He moved next to Aladdin, putting an arm around his shoulders. "We're pals, right Al?"

"Genie…" Aladdin looked up at him, and then smiled.

"Just leave it to me!" Genie smiled, and it made Aladdin laugh. "And besides," Genie moved over to Keira and Alana and placed an arm around their shoulders. "With these beauties, I'd go anywhere they're going." Keira blushed, as Alana laughed. "Do you know how long it's been since I've been around women? It's time to change all that."

"Sorry, Genie," Alana laughed. "But I'm afraid that you're a little too old for us."

The blue man gave a shrug. "Oh well, can't blame a guy for trying."

"We'll be leaving soon," Geoffrey told them before leaving Aladdin's home. Everyone bid their goodbyes and followed.

The moment they boarded the Gummi ships, Alana plopped down on her butt and began to take her shoes off with a sigh and a frown.

"What's wrong, Alana?" Kiera asked her friend.

"What do you think?" Alana gave another sigh and dumped something out of her shoe. "I hate sand."

 **PLEASE REVIEW :)**


	10. Chapter 9

**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(**

 **Lucia, Kieran, Rayna, Claire, Renee, Zeke, Sienna, Jeanne, Melanie, and Charel are my OC characters from my Final Fantasy stories!**

 _ **Chapter Nine**_

 _ **Boys are stupid**_

 **"Oh, you have got to be freaking kidding me!"**

Kiera roared more to herself as she stared around the area she now found herself in. She had been on the ship with Sora and Donald, talking and having a break from training with Geoffrey and Alana when this giant whale decided to fly at them and swallow them up. It seemed that the second ship wasn't swallowed, leaving Kiera on her own with Sora and the duck.

"How is this even possible?!"

"Beats me," Sora shrugged his shoulders.

"Knock it off!" Donald's roar grabbed their attention to see that the duck was yelling at someone who was throwing things down at them. "Who's up there!?"

As the two teens moved closer to Donald, what appeared to be a wooden boy looked down at them. "It's me."

"Oh," Donald said. "Its just Pinocchio. Pinocchio!?"

"Pinocchio?" Jiminy jumped up on Sora's shoulders. "Pinocch, where are you going? Pinocch? Come on everybody. After him quick."

"I take it that you know him?" Kiera commented.

"Yes. I'm Pinocchio's conscience."

"His conscience?" Sora repeated. "But how?"

"Well you see, when you wish upon a star-"

Kiera, having heard the story already, turned back to watch the path the wooden boy made to the ship further in the back of Monstro's mouth. From the looks of it, they had been here for a while. Had they been here for ten years? Were they even from Radiant Garden? She didn't know them but that didn't mean anything.

Trying to stay as dry as they could, Sora, Donald, and Kiera made their way to meet Geppetto and introduce themselves.

"What have you got there, Pinocchio?" The old man asked.

"With this, we can get out of here, Father." The puppet handed Geppetto the Gummi Block.

"Really? With this big block? You think so?"

"It's true." Sora told them, as they all climbed aboard. "So, how did you end up here, Pinocchio?"

"Oh my," Geppetto walked towards them. "So, the whale swallowed all of you, too? My Goodness."

"Yeah," Sora answered. "It looks like it."

"My name is Geppetto. I'm Pinocchio's father. When we got separated, I traveled all over, looking for him. Thank Goodness we're together again," He picked up the Gummi Black, and began to move it to a corner. Kiera glanced around again to see a form in yellow running off into a pathway; Pinocchio had seen him too apparently and was now chasing after him.

"Hey, Sora," She glanced at the other teen beside her but both he and Donald were concentrating on listening to the old man.

With a sigh, she turned and moved off the ship. That yellow shirt...she had an idea who that was. Mumbling under her breath about being a babysitter, Kiera followed Pinocchio and found out that her thoughts were correct.

"So, this is where you ran off too."

Riku glanced over his shoulder and turned to face her with a frown. "And you're still playing around with Sora."

"I wouldn't call destroying Heartless and saving worlds 'playing' but to each their own." She stared at the older teen, taking him in. He held an air of caution, defense against her. "What's wrong? Afraid I'll attack you?"

"It's not that," He replied. Pinocchio was left in the background, just watching the two of them silently. "I'm just cautious. It's not often you find someone claiming to be the long lost sister of one of your friends; especially when that person is a princess."

Kiera felt her frown deepen. She hadn't even told Sora that. How did he know? "You've been busy. Who told you?"

"You don't deny it?" Riku asked her.

"Why deny it when it's true? Even if your kingdom is all but a pile of rubble in the hands of a witch," She muttered darkly.

"When you say witch...do you mean Maleficent?"

Kiera narrowed her eyes. That explained how Riku knew she was a princess. "You _have_ been busy. How did she find you? What has she offered you?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because you should drop it now and run. Maleficent isn't someone that you want to get involved with. I don't know what she offered you but there's always an alternative motive behind her words to benefit herself. She's using you to get something."

Riku gave a snort. "I can take care of myself."

"No, I don't think you can," Kiera took a step forward. "You don't understand anything! You're from a damn island where you and your friends dreamed about seeing other worlds. You haven't seen the destruction that woman can cause. You thing this is all just a damn game but it's not. You're sticking a foot into something that you don't understand and it's going to bite back eventually. You're being used for something. It's because of Maleficent that Radiant Garden fell...it's because of her that I lost my sister and..." She wasn't sure but she knew that Maleficent and Bailey had a confrontation before Bailey disappeared. "Look, believe me, it'll only turn out bad." She took a breath. "Come with us. Sora's been looking everywhere for you and Kairi. We'll find her. I want to help, whether or not it turns out that she's the sister I lost."

Riku went to reply but Sora beat him to it.

"What are you guys doing?" Sora then saw the other teen standing with Kiera. "Riku! Wh-what are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "Just playing with Pinocchio."

"You know what I mean!" Sora yelled at him. "What about Kairi? Did you find her?"

"Maybe," He shrugged again. "Catch us, and maybe I'll tell you what I know."

"Oh, come on!" Sora said. Riku grabbed Pinocchio's hand, and ran off with him. Sora and Donald ran after them, but Kiera only walked a few steps before she stopped.

"What are you doing, Riku?" Kiera asked. She turned around, and looked at Riku, who was now behind her, still holding the hand of Pinocchio.

"I'm just having a little fun. Teasing Sora a bit." He answered her. "Besides, he interrupted our conversation."

Kiera shook her head, trying to fight the smirk that wanted to spread across her face. "I know you have no obligation to listen to me, or trust me, but what I'm telling you is the truth. Maleficent is bad news. You should stop here and come with us."

Riku gave a frown. "I can't; not now."

"What do you-" She narrowed her eyes. "She has her, doesn't she? Maleficent has Kairi." His silence was all that she needed. A slew of curses flew from her mouth. She had to tell Geoffrey and the others. Oh boy, were they going to be pissed. "Riku-" She turned back to the other teen but he had disappeared again. "Dammit!" She still needed answers from him! She took off through the chambers, catching up with Sora and Donald as they ran into some Heartless. They searched through all six chambers, until they finally caught up with Riku and Pinocchio again. They chased Pinocchio though to see that Riku was standing there in front of yet another Chamber walkway. Riku only watched as Pinocchio ran through it.

"Riku!" Sora called to him. "What's the matter with you? What are you thinking? Don't you realize what you're doing?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing Sora. You only seem interested in running around and showing off that KeyBlade these days. Do you even want to save Kairi?"

Sora hung his head. "I do-"

"Do you really believe you have the right to ask him that?" Kiera called out. "You only see what you want to. Sora's been searching relentlessly for both of you just to have you ridicule him. What kind of friend does that?"

"This has nothing to do with you." Riku growled.

"It does when I find out you're working with the bastards that took my home from me!"

Sora looked between the two. "What's she talking about, Riku?"

Riku glared at the other teen and went to speak again but Pinocchio's scream, dragging all their attention to the chamber that the wooden boy had disappeared inside.

"What is that?!" Donald cried out.

Pinocchio had been trapped inside a heartless that looked like a cage.

"These things just keep getting more and more creative, don't they?" Kiera asked out loud, summoning her KeyBlade to her hands. "Next thing you know they'll have wings or be able to breath fire."

Sora pulled a face. "Please don't joke."

"You up for this?" Riku asked.

Sora's face turned determined. "No problem. Let's do this."

"Hmph."

Kiera wasted no time and jumped head first into the fight, careful of the stomach acid from the whale on the floor beneath them. Donald found that out the hard way, unfortunately. She kept finding her attention leaving the battle though and going to the silver-haired teen that she fought alongside. Sora had been under Alana's training for at least a month or so no but this Riku, his skills were still better than Sora's. Had he been getting training from someone on Maleficent's side as well or was he just a natural like Leon was?

As Sora's KeyBlade landed another hit on the Cage, it jumped up to hang from the ceiling of the room as a large hole appeared in the floor. It then spit Pinocchio out into it. Riku didn't have to think for a second before he jumped in after it, leaving the others to follow him.

"What is he doing?" Sora asked aloud.

"More than likely something we won't like."

The hole dropped them onto Geppetto's ship again and Kiera helped Donald to his feet.

"Pinocchio! Pinocchio!" Geppetto cried, as they all looked up to see that Riku held Pinocchio once more, slung over his arm. "Please! Give me back my Son!"

"Sorry Old man. I've got some unfinished business with this puppet." Riku told him.

"He's no puppet! Pinocchio is my little boy!"

Riku snorted. "He is unusual. Not very many puppets have hearts. I'm not sure, but maybe he can help someone who's lost theirs."

"Wait a minute," Sore told him. "Are you talking about Kairi?

"What do you care about her?" Riku shot Kiera a look, and then walked through to yet another chamber. She raised a brow.

~What was that for?~

"Do...do you think Kairi's lost her heart?" Sora asked her.

Kiera gave a frown. "I can't say. Riku's working with Maleficent. Either way, she's using Kairi to make him help her."

"We have to stop him."

"If we can..."

They followed after him quickly, and Riku turned to face them.

"Let Pinocchio go, Riku!" Sora ordered.

"A puppet that's lost his heart to the heartless…maybe it holds the key to helping Kairi. How about it Sora? Let's join forces to save her. We can do it together." He walked towards them, but Sora made ready for an attack. "What? You both rather fight me? Over a puppet that has no heart?"

"Heart or no heart." Sora began. "At least he still has a Conscience."

"Conscience?" Riku scoffed.

Sora continued as Jiminy ran to Pinocchio. "You might not hear it, but right now, it's loud and clear. And it's telling me, that you're on the wrong side!"

"Then you leave me no choice." Riku told him.

"Pinocchio! Pinocchio!" Jiminy yelled, stopping in front of the Puppet.

"Jiminy…I'm not gonna make it." He whispered. Jiminy then gasped as Pinocchio's nose grew longer. "Oh! I guess I'm okay." Jiminy began to jump up and down as Kiera laughed. Riku looked down, as if defeated.

"The offer still stands." Kiera called out to him."Leave Maleficent and come with us."

Riku's face contorted. He seemed to be having an inner battle with himself about whether or not to come with them. Kiera went to speak again but the Parasite Cage returned, nearly squashing her. Sora had barely grabbed her and pulled her out of the way in time. She looked for Riku but found that the teen had disappeared. She gave a curse.

"Boys are stupid." She hissed. He shouldn't have left. He should have come with them. Now he was back with Maleficent and lord only knows what she was telling him. Oh, when she finally got her hands on that witch-

"Kiera!" Donald's cry made Kiera jerk from her thoughts and stand up. There was a battle going in, she could leave her thoughts for later. One problem still rang in her head though as they took down the heartless again.

How the hell was she going to explain to Alana and Geoffrey that Kairi had lost her heart?

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	11. Chapter 10

**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(**

 **Lucia, Kieran, Rayna, Claire, Renee, Zeke, Sienna, Jeanne, Melanie, and Charel are my OC characters from my Final Fantasy stories!**

 _ **Chapter Ten**_

 _ **Worse to Come**_

" **What are we doing back here?"**

Sora stared up at the gates of the Coliseum. Geoffrey had led the ships here without another word. Something seemed...off about the Coliseum right now. It was more...lively and there were so many people walking around in excitement; nothing like it had been the first time they were here.

"The Games, of course," Alana smiled at the young boy. "The Phil Cup is today."

"Really?" Sora raised a brow. He had been excited for the games since their last trip to the Coliseum.

"Yes, and you and Kiera are teaming up." Geoffrey told them.

Kiera raised a brow. "What? Why do I have to?"

"Because this is the lowest Cup. If the two of you can get past this then you can do the others. I refuse to let you try to enter the Hades Cup without doing the others first." Alana answered.

"The Hades Cup?" Goofy asked.

"There are Several Cups," Kiera began to explain. "First there are the Phil, Pegasus, and Hercules Cups. Then the Hades Cup, and then the ones that follow varies. Last year we had the Silver and Golden Cups with Geoffrey, Leon, and Kieran as the opponents in the Golden and then the silver cup was against Some freak under Hades' rule. Phil changes it every now and then."

"Leon, Kieran, and Geoffrey?" Sora felt the color leave his face. "Did...did anyone win?"

The look on Geoffrey's face was the only answer he needed; he swallowed. "So, why are only Kiera and I entering?"

"Think of it as a kind of training. Donald and Goofy can enter too, if they want. Training for them would be a good idea as well."

"That's a great idea," Alana smiled. "And just think, if you win then you'll get a reward!"

Kiera gave her a suspicious look. "What kind of reward?"

"We can work out the details later," Alana placed an arm around both kids and led them off towards the arena. "Let's get you checked in."

"Is something wrong, Geoffrey?"

The older teenager gave a smile. Goofy had noticed him being quiet, it seemed.

"No, nothing wrong." He shook his head. "You and Donald should go and sign in, too. The further into all of this we go, the stronger the enemies will be. I understood that the two of you are warriors under the King but that doesn't mean that we won't find ourselves against those that are stronger."

"Ooh, shucks, we know that," Goofy gave one of his laughs. "But as long as we;re together we can overcome anything!"

Geoffrey gave a smirk. Isn't that what Selia always said? He knew he shouldn't be thinking negatively but he couldn't help it. Look where Selia and the others were now.

"Go have some fun, Goofy," He told the knight as he turned and moved down the street. "I'll be back in a bit."

"All right, just be careful!"

Most people were heading for the Coliseum to watch the games. Geoffrey moved through the streets for almost an hour, searching, before he realized that who he was looking for would most likely be at the matches as well. He had been hoping that he would have caught Melanie in the streets on her way to the tournament but he wasn't lucky, it seemed. He would even take to seeing Cloud or Jeanne and Zack, hopefully, but it just wasn't happening.

Deciding to take a break, he took a seat near a fountain and stared up at the sky. It was a bright blue today, not a cloud to be seen. He remembered the sky in Radiant Garden always looking like this, too. He hated thinking about the past but it haunted him no matter what he did. He had promised Lucient that he would protect both Kiera and Kairi until they returned. He had lost Kairi but now...if there was a chance...

No, there was no 'if'. Sora told him that Kairi looked just like Kiera and that she had arrived on Destiny Island all those years ago. It was too close to be merely coincidence. And now, if what Kiera had said was true, Maleficent had her hands on Kairi. That made him more angry than anything else. He wanted to be the one to pierce that witch's heart;if she even had one.

" _One day you will realize_

 _The stars you are chasing shine bright deep inside you_

 _But will you ever let it shine from within,"_

Geoffrey lifted his head. The voice singing was soft, feminine; and familiar. He stood and began to glance around. There was no one in the street with him but he pinpointed the voice. It was coming from an alley, leading to the other side of the city. He took quick steps, following it.

" _And cast all of your fears aside_

 _You'll see the light but until that day comes..._

 _My Dearly Beloved_

 _Be strong I shall be there."_

He burst out of the alley, his eyes searching still. The singer didn't try and hide; and neither did her companions. She stood there in the small area, her black cloak covering all parts of her just like it had the last time Geoffrey had been to the Coliseum. This time there were four others with her, all wearing the same cloaks with the hoods raised. They all stood around the area, just waiting as they listened to her sing.

" _Always here beside you_

 _So keep your head held high_

 _The shadow of this world will try to steal you into their arms_

 _But you belong in mine."_

"Aww, who invited this loser to the party?"

The singing had halted and everyone but the singer turned to face Geoffrey. He let his eyes play over all of them, ready to summon his weapon if they were looking for trouble.

One of the figures closest to Geoffrey laughed; it was a woman too. "Aww, it's a public area, Lyxar. You can't get mad at him for following Xebliya's voice; it's impossible not to."

"Shut up; don't say our names, dammit!" The growl came from the one furthest from Geoffrey; another female.

"Kinda too late for that," This voice came from a man to the left; next to the first one to talk.

The one called Lyxar crossed her arms, undoubtedly glaring at the ones around her.

"Can we help you with something?" The fourth cloak wearer was another man, his voice low and clearly full of impatience and dislike.

Geoffrey glanced at them all again before placing his eyes on the one in the middle; the singer had yet to turn to face him. "You told me to be careful of the answers I seek and then you gave me that book, knowing it would just create more questions. What are you after? What do you want from me?"

The singer, that voice was the same as the woman he had met last time. She stood still, un-moving. "I want many things. Some I can get, others I'll never even reach. Some I want to help you achieve and others I will refuse to. It's all left to the hands of fate."

"Do you want to not talk in riddles?" Geoffrey growled. "How did you get your hands on that book? I can recognize Bailey's handwriting anywhere! What have you done with her?!"

"She's lost in darkness. She fights in earnest but it is futile. I was merely...completing a wish her heart had made." The woman tilted her head back to stare at the sky. "She waits in vain. I fear that the battle will never end and she will be lost forever."

"Lost in darkness?" Geoffrey repeated. "What about the others? Where are Lucient and Selia?"

"I wonder..."

He stomped his foot on the ground. "I want answers, dammit!"

"Calm down, princess," One of the men told him. "You'll get your answers when we feel like giving them. Until then, keep your head cool," He tapped the side of his head. "Got it memorized?"

Geoffrey froze. Those words...they sounded familiar.

"God, you and your stupid saying, Axel," Lyxar huffed. "Keep your boyfriend under control, Raymx."

"Shut it!"

"Geoffrey," Xebliya turned and faced him. "Two halves make a whole. If they acquire one, there is still hope. Don't allow the second half to fall into their hands."

"Two halves?" He stared at her. "Start making sense!"

'Use that brain of yours," the one called Axel replied. "She's trying to tell you that there's worse to come."

"And to protect that little princess of yours, too." Raymx giggled.

They knew about Kiera being a princess, did they? That just made him angrier. "Just who are you?"

It was the nameless one that spoke this time. "We are...nobody."

There was a couple of laughs from the other three but that was all.

"We're leaving," Xebliya announced. "We have stayed too long already."

"You're not going anywhere until I'm don with you."

"You can't stop us," Axel decided to reply. "So don't do anything stupid, kid."

"And try not to die, hmm?" Raymx teased him.

"Just have faith," Xebliya old him. "Always have faith. That's what you say, right?"

Geoffrey stared, frozen to the ground as some kind of dark portal opened up behind the cloaked figures and they disappeared into it, one by one. He was even more confused now than when the conversation started.

One thing was confirmed, though. He had been right about Bailey. She was still out there and if that woman had seen her, then she was still alive. Her being lost, though...he didn't understand. Just what had happened? Where were the others? He had been hoping to find some clues and change tactics but now he was just stuck all over again. He did have a good feeling that he would see Xebliya and her friends again. No, it was more than just a good feeling.

Of that, he was sure.

 **The song I used was Dearly Beloved by AmaLee.**

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	12. Chapter 11

**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(**

 **Lucia, Kieran, Rayna, Claire, Renee, Zeke, Sienna, Jeanne, Melanie, and Charel are my OC characters from my Final Fantasy stories!**

 _ **Chapter Eleven**_

 _ **Fins and Clam shells**_

" **Oh, you cannot be serious!"**

Alana stared at herself in embarrassment. When Donald had told them that they were going to have to undergo some transformation to travel through this new world, this was clearly something that she had not been expecting. Her legs had been replaced by a long, green fin and the only thing she wore for clothes was a red, clam shell bra.

It was just her, Sora, and Donald. Geoffrey refused to go underwater and so he stayed on a ship with Kiera and Goofy. Kiera wanted to come but Geoffrey claimed that he needed to talk to her about something and Goofy wanted to sleep. The poor thing barely got any rest on the Gummi Ship; especially when Donald and Sora fought over where to go. Sora was shirtless with what apeared to be a shark fin as Donald was an octopus.

"It doesn't look that bad," Sora told her. "At least you have something to cover you."

"This is not covering me," Alana had crossed her arms, trying to cover up as much as she could. "You're not a girl, so you just don't understand!"

Sora frowned as she continued to mumble to herself. Her long, red/black hair floated in the water around her as she turned back back to him before trying to pull it back in a tie. As she did so, it gave Sora a chance to look at the black tattoo on her back. It was a crown with what appeared to be a tree growing out of the top of it. One half of the tree was covered in leaves while the other was dead. He had seen it multiple times before but he had never asked about it.

Sora continued to frown as he thought to himself. He had been...feeling strange lately. Especially around Alana. He liked Geoffrey and Kiera, and Donald and Goofy, too but he found himself enjoying himself more when Alana was with him. He found that to be very true when they had been in Agrabah and Alana had been gripping to him during the carpet ride. She reminded him a bit of Kairi.

At the thought of his friend, he suddenly felt very guilty. But why was that?

"You know, if you stare harder I might do a trick."

Alana's voice brought Sora from his thoughts and he blushed; he had been starring at her. "S-Sorry, I was just...your tattoo..."

Alana gave a small smile. "It's a weird one, right?"

"If you think it's weird then why did you get it?"

"Because it's weird doesn't mean I don't like it." She turned her head. "I got it because of Selia." She took a breath. "As you know, we're orphans. Selia was, too. She wanted nothing more than to make a name for herself and when Bailey arrived, she was able to. She became a guard in the castle. After doing so, she created a sign, a sort of crest that symbolized that even orphans like her could have a rebirth. She has the same tattoo on her leg. After I got older...I went and got the same crest. It makes me feel closer to her, if only in my mind. I can just see her now when she sees it; she'll probably say she likes it and then hit me in the head for getting it in the first place."

Sora gave her a small smile. Sometimes he forgot that he wasn't the only one looking for friends. The others...they were all looking for someone, too.

"Alana, I won't stop until we find them all. Riku and Kairi; and I'll even stay as long as I can to help you find Bailey and Lucient and Selia, too. I'll help find them all!"

Alana smiled. "You're not too bad for a kid, Sora."

He pulled a face. "I'm a year younger than you; you're still a kid, too!"

"Maybe physically, but not mentally," She told him. "Don't worry, you'll catch up one day."

Sora some reason, that didn't make Sora feel better. Her thinking of him as a kid...it irked him; a lot.

"Come on, Sebastian!"

At the voice, the trio turned to watch as a red-haired mermaid swam towards them, followed by a yellow flounder and a red lobster.

"Ariel! Wait! Slow Down! Don't leave me behind!" the lobster swam right to Donald's face, the screamed, and swam to hide behind Ariel.

The mermaid laughed. "Relax Sebastian. They don't look like one of them. Right Flounder?" The Fish peered from behind Ariel. "I don't know. There's something weird about them."

"Sure, we're the weird ones," Alana commented, crossing her arms.

Sora laughed nervously. "What do you mean?"

Ariel swam around Alana and Sora. "They do seem…a little different. Where are you from?"

Sora glanced at Alana. She gave a grin. "Oh, we're from across the ways. We decided to go on an adventure and left home."

"Yeah," Sora nodded. "And we're not really used to these waters." They both laughed.

"Oh, I see. In that case," Ariel smiled. "Sebastian can show you how we swim around here."

"Ariel, King Triton would not like this!" The lobster told her.

"Oh, don't worry!"

After they were done learning to swim, Sebastian began to say something else. "Now, let's move on to self defense." Then, New and Strange Heartless began to show up, and The three of them began to swim away, but Sora, Alana, and Donald just floated there, watching the Heartless. "Class is over," Sebastian told them. "Good luck!"

"These things just keep getting weirder and weirder." Alana shook her head, staring at the new heartless.

"I agree."

The trio took care of the heartless and were rejoined by Ariel when they were gone.

"Those Creatures are the ones that chased us here," Ariel explained to them.

"It's a good thing we were here, then," Alana told her. "We're...constantly running into them so we're pretty good at getting rid of them. You have to be careful; they're dangerous if you can't fight them off."

"Oh no! They might be heading for the Palace as well!" Sebastian cried in worry.

"Oh, we'd better get back and warn Daddy!"

"But, what if we run into more on the way there?" Flounder sounded worried.

Sora swam forward. "We'll go with you, right guys?" He looked at Donald and Alana.

"Sure."

It was weird to be swimming like this, but as they continued on, Alana got the hang of it. Soon she was doing flips and twirls around the group, striking up a conversation with Ariel. Sora was glad she was having fun; even Donald seemed to be enjoying himself; and that was a surprise.

When they finally arrived at the Palace where King Triton Destroyed all of the Heartless that were following them into the Palace.

"That was too close." Ariel looked back and smiled at her Father. He was a big mermaid with long white hair and a matching beard; he didn't look to be very friendly. "As long as I have my Trident, I will not tolerate those creatures inside this palace."

"Daddy!"

"Oh Ariel! When will you listen? It's dangerous out there! Strange Creatures lurk outside." He looked pointedly at Sora, who both made surprised faces.

Sebastian cleared his throat. "Behold. You swim before the ruler of the Seas: Your Majesty, King Triton!"

"And who are they?" The old merman asked.

"They helped us fight off those things." Ariel told her father.

He raised an eyebrow. "They don't look familiar."

Sora answered him. "We're from an ocean very far away."

Alana slapped a hand to her face. "Very convincing, Sora."

"Sorry." He moved closer to her. "Should we ask about the Keyhole?" He had kept his voice down but Ariel still heard him.

"The Keyhole? What's that?" Ariel asked.

Triton's eyes widened. "The what?"

"Uh," Alana scratched her head. "Well..."

"There's no such thing. Certainly not here!" The King yelled.

Ariel looked at her father. "But Daddy!"

Triton wasn't having it. "Ariel, not another word! You are not to leave this Palace. Is that clear?" Ariel turned away from her father, and swam away. Sora and Donald went after her. Alana opened her mouth to speak before changing her mind and hurrying after the others. She didn't need to get involved with a father-daughter feud.

Ariel slipped out of the palace, despite her father's orders, and led them to her Grotto. Alana whistled, staring at all the things that the mermaid had collected over the years, enjoying as she showed them all to her. She almost laughed when Ariel called a fork a dinglehopper and began to run it through her hair.

"Look at all the Wonderful things Flounder And I've collected. I think they're all from the outside world. I want to see other worlds. Does that seem strange?"

Sora shook his head. "No. Not at all. We feel the same way, don't we Alana?" The girl nodded her head.

"Hey, why don't we try looking for that KeyHole you were talking about?" Ariel offered.

"But," Sora began. "Your Father said-"

"Oh," Ariel didn't sound very happy. "He treats me like a little girl! He doesn't let me do anything! He just…he just doesn't understand!"

"But you're still a child, aren't you?" Alana asked. "Maybe it's different in these waters, but from where we're from, you're about my age. That's still considered young." Ariel frowned and Alana gave a sigh. "I'm not saying you can't help, I'm just saying be ready for what your father does when he finds out you went against his orders."

Ariel led them everywhere but they couldn't find anything on the Keyhole. They found a Trident Crest in Ariel's Grotto, though, and Flounder led them to a crystal trident. The group was enjoying themselves until the King decided to show up; boy, was he pissed!

"Ariel, you've disobeyed me again! I told you not to leave the Palace!" He then saw the Crystal Trident.

Ariel obviously knew what her father was going to do. "Daddy, no!" He fired the Trident before anyone could move, and the Crystal was destroyed. Ariel gasped as tears sprung up in her eyes.

"How could you?" She swam past him, and out of the Grotto, and left the others with Triton's Wrath.

"Young Man, young woman, you're not from another Ocean, you are from another world, aren't you?" That made Sora's mouths drop open. "Then you must be one of the KeyBearers."

"Looks like you're smart, old man," Alana crossed her arms. "You're the first one we've met that even knows anything about what's going on.

Sora nodded in agreement. "How did you know?"

"You may fool Ariel, but you can't fool me. You don't know your Dorsal fin from your tail. And as the KeyBearer, you must already know that one must not meddle in the affairs of other worlds."

"Of course we know that, but…" Sora stopped.

"You have violated this Principal. The KeyBearers shatter Peace and brings ruin."

"I don't see how we've violated anything," Alana frowned. "Talking to someone doesn't do that. You just don't like that you can't control what's happening right now. If you know about the Keyblades then you know that the only way to get rid of the Heartless is by sealing it. Instead of fighting with us, you can help us so we can lock your world up and get out of here faster."

Triton didn't like a lot of things, apparently, and one of them was receiving opinions. "I thank you both for saving my daughter, But," He turned and began to swim away as Sora looked down at his Keyblade. "There is no room in my Ocean for you or your Keys!"

"Ahh, what does he know?" Donald grunted with a frown. "We're doing nothing wrong. We're trying to save everyone!"

"Some people just don't like not being in control," Alana placed a hand on Sora's shoulder. "You're not doing anything wrong, Sora. Don't let his words get to you."

Sora tightened his grip. "You're right. Alana, Donald, let's go back to the palace."

"Huh?"

"For what?"

"To talk to Triton. Maybe we can convince him to help us. He wants us gone, right? It's just like you said. We can find the Keyhole faster and be gone from here."

Alana nodded. "All right then. Lead the way, Keyblade Master."

Sora wore a smile on his face until they reached the Palace. The moment they entered it they knew something was off. Hurrying to the throne room they found a weakened Triton barely conscious in his throne with a worried Ariel and a new face; Ursula, the Sea Witch. She held the King's Trident in her hands, laughing hysterically.

"The Trident is mine at last! And I couldn't have done it without your help, my dear."

Ariel shook her head. "Ursula, no! I didn't want this."

"Why not? Aren't you tired of following your dear Daddy's orders? Oh, yes, we had a deal, didn't we? Time for a little journey…To the dark world of the Heartless."

A pair of eels began to swim around Ursula. "We cannot find the KeyHole."

"The KeyHole is not here."

"What?" She looked over her shoulder, and saw Sora and them swim up. "Why, we have company. I'm afraid you're a little too late Handsome." Ursula then disappeared.

"What the hell was that?" Alana asked, cocking her head to the side. She felt a frown form on her face. The Sea Witch had called Sora handsome...

"Daddy!" Ariel cried.

"The Trident." He said. "We must get it back."

"Is that you asking for our help?" Alana asked with a smile.

"Alana, now isn't the time," Donald growled.

"Fine, take all my fun away."

"Come on, let's go!" Sora told them, and they went to swim away, but Ariel stopped them.

"Wait. I'm going with you. My Father is hurt, and it's all my fault. I have to stop Ursula."

"That's right. I'm right behind you Ariel!" Sebastian told her.

Ariel knew where Ursula had gone and led them right to the evil sea witch, not even stopping for a breath before bursting into her room.

"Come out," Donald yelled. "You can't run!"

"Your time has come!" Sebastian hollered, and Ursula swam out towards them. She shot a look at the two of them with a growl, and they shrieked in horror.

"All right, you damn...whatever you are," Alana pulled her blade out. "Let's dance; or swim, or whatever it is we do down here!"

Ursula's two eels were taken care of by Donald, leaving Alana, Ariel, and Sora to deal with the Sea Witch. She was harder than Alana had thought she would be. The further they went in this journey, the worse the opponents became, making her start to get worried about what the future held for them.

The two eels were defeated and it pissed Ursula off.

"You'll pay for this!" She yelled, and then swam away, forcing the group to follow after her out of her home.

"You pathetic fools!" Ursula yelled. "I rule the seas now!" She brandished the Trident, and made herself grow extremely big and more dangerous. "The sea and all its spoils bow to my power!"

Alana looked over to Sora. "You think you're up for this? I don't want you getting hurt, you know."

"Hah! You'll only say that until I save you from that ugly face of hers." He answered her, and they both laughed before swimming in to attack.

The dodge training that Geoffrey put Sora through made it's presence known as the battle went one. Ursula's movements were a bit slower now due to her size but if you were to get hut then it hurt tenfold more than it normally would. Alana was the one to deliver the final blow.

"And that is that," she grinned, her sword disappearing. "The old merman owes me."

"Really, Alana?" Sora laughed as the group headed to return the Trident to the king.

"What? It's true."

Triton was clearly a lot warmer to the trio when they returned. Warm enough to reveal that the KeyHole had been in Ariel's Grotto then entire time and gave them permission to use his Trident to reveal it.

Ariel smiled, watching as Sora locked the KeyHole.

"Tell me Sora, Alana. Your world, what's it like?"

Sora scratched the back of his head. "Oh, about that…Sorry for lying to you."

She smiled. "It's okay. Besides, if you can travel to other Worlds, maybe I can too. So many places I want to see…I know I'll get there someday. I'll find a way somehow. I'm sure of it."

Sebastian sighed. "Well, if you do find it, do me a favor, and leave me out of it!"

"It's not so bad," Alana told the lobster. "You just got to get used to it; you might want to stay here in the water, though. Lobster is a delicacy where I'm from."

If a lobster could turn pale he would have. He swam away screaming for the king.

Sora shook his head as Ariel laughed. Donald frowned at the teen.

"Was that necessary?"

She pulled an evil grin. "You know, duck is a delicacy, too."

Sora and Ariel continued to laugh as Donald mimicked the lobster, leaving the laughing trio behind.

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	13. Chapter 12

**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(**

 **Lucia, Kieran, Rayna, Claire, Renee, Zeke, Sienna, Jeanne, Melanie, and Charel are my OC characters from my Final Fantasy stories!**

 **This chapter is dedicated to my two best friends, Char and Rach. Rach LOVES Nightmare Before Christmas and Char's favorite Final Fantasy character is Vincent Valentine. Here you go, ladies!**

 **This is going to be a long chapter :3**

 _ **Chapter Twelve**_

 _ **Freaks are the Best**_

" **Oh wow! Just look at all of this! It's Halloween everywhere!"**

Kiera's explanation made Sora laugh as she twirled in the grey dress she was now wearing, looking at all the clothes that the group wore. Everyone had changed but he found himself looking at Alana and Geoffrey more than anything.

The duo matched, dressed in the black attire of a vampire count and countess. Alana's red/black hair had been pinned up and a small tiara with red jewels was placed there, matching the jewel that was around her throat.; Geoffrey had a matching one on the fancy ascot he was now wearing.

Sora found himself wishing that he was the one that matched with Alana.

"You know," Alana began. "I'm starting to think that the duck's a pervert."

Geoffrey laughed. "Really, Alana?"

"Well yeah. First it was the clam shells and now it's this thing. I'm practically exposed!" She tried to pull her dress up but it wouldn't go. "How the hell am I supposed to fight in this? One bend and I'm just gonna spill out!"

Kiera laughed with Geoffrey as Sora's face turned red, making his turn away from the older woman. "You can always go back to the ship, you know."

"And miss this? Hell no!" Alana shook her head. "The moment I saw the dreary, Gothic decor of the world I was sold!"

The world was, literally, a giant pumpkin with a town and a graveyard visible from the ship. Alana had squealed like a little girl, Kiera mimicking her, before jumping around the ship in excitement. Only Geoffrey was supposed go with Sora here but both girls had insisted on coming too.

"This sure is a spooky place," Goofy looked around. "I'll bet the people here are scary-lookin' too."

"Well, now so are we. If they scare us, we'll scare them right back." Donald replied.

"I don't know," Kiera glanced at them all again. "The three of you look scary but I'm afraid the rest of us don't. The two of them are sexy vampires and I'm an undead princess. The hell, Donald?"

"Language," Geoffrey scolded. "Come on, let's go."

Entering the town, the group encounter strange, new heartless but instead of being attacked they all just floated there, lifeless.

"Well, this was something that I didn't expect," Alana frowned, poking one of the Heartless in the face with her blade; it didn't move.

"What's going on here?" Kiera wondered aloud.

In response, a voice sounded across the Square.

"And now, allow me to introduce the Master of Terror, the King of Nightmares- Jack Skellington!" The Heartless moved, waving their hands towards the fountain in the middle of the Square as a man rose up from the water; a very tall, skeleton with a pleased smile, dressed in a pin-stripe suit and a bat bow tie.

"Oh wow," Alana grinned, taking a closer look.

Sora glanced at her. "Are you serious?"

"I don't know," Kiera tilted her head to the side. "He's kinda cute, I guess."

"Kinda cute? The guy's a hottie!"

"Alana, he's a skeleton," Geoffrey was trying his hardest not to laugh. "How can you find that attractive?"

The woman blushed as everyone stared at her. "I don't know, I just do!"

"I'm starting to think you're the freak here, Alana," Kiera laughed.

The older teen gave her a frown. "Yeah, and?"

There was a pause before Kiera replied with a smile. "Touche'."

"Bravo, Jack!" The Mayor waddled forward with a huge smile. "Bravo! Those ghosts will be a big hit at this year's Halloween!"

"But their movement still needs work. It's not scary enough. I want to strike bone-chilling terror. I'm going to consult the Doctor." Jack told him as he began to walk away, head hanging.

The Mayor, still in smiles, ran the other way. "Then I'll attend to the decorations!"

"You mean they're trying to control the Heartless?" Sora asked, head tilted. "I've never heard of that one before."

"I...don't think he's trying to control them like Maleficent is," Alana commented.

"Let's go check it out," Geoffrey replied. "It seems that this Jack fellow is head of this place. He might know where the Keyhole is."

"Stalking the hot skeleton man?" Kiera smiled, skipping forward. "I'm down with that."

"I'm going to have to separate the two of you. If you personality rubs off on her anymore then she'll never find a boyfriend."

"What the hell does that mean?" Alana growled.

"What if I don't want a boyfriend?" Kiera replied. "I'm capable of taking care of myself just fine!"

"Besides, if push comes to shove, we can just ship her and Sora together; they're the same age."

"Age has nothing to do with it, Alana."

"How did I get pulled into this?" Sora demanded, pulling a face.

"Yeah, Sora's not my type," Kiera looked at the other teen. "No offense."

"None taken." He frowned. Why had Alana said something like that? And why did he care? He paused in front of the lab's entryway. "Is it okay for us to just walk in?"

"If they have a problem with it we'll just explain things," Geoffrey placed his hand on the door. "Let's go."

Jack was inside with a weirdo in a wheel chair, staring at one of the Heartless on a table.

"I don't understand," Jack was saying. "Maybe the guidance system was damaged in the explosion."

"Nonsense," The doctor told him. "My devices are always perfect!"

Jack, who was reading a book, looked up. "Oh, I've got it! Why of course! The Heartless need a Heart! Doctor," He turned and looked at him. "Do you think you could add a Heart to that device?"

"Certainly. A heart's not all that complicated. Let's get started" He set the container on the table before him.

"First, to make a heart, take a container with a lock." Jack told him.

"We need the Key to this thing first." The Doctor yelled.

"Sora,, open it for them," Alana told the boy beside her.

"Do you guys really think that's a good idea?" Geoffrey's voice made the doctor and Jack look at the group that now stood by the front door.

"Why not?" Sora asked. "If they succeed, then we won't have to deal with the Heartless."

"Besides, I want to see them dance!" Kiera added happily.

"You're all children," Donald sighed.

"May I help you?" Jack's voice made them all turn.

Kiera pushed Sora forward. "I can open it for you." He announced, shooting a look at Kiera.

"Really? Oh, would you please?" The skeleton watched in silence as Sora lifted his Keyblade and unlocked the heart container. "My! That was amazing! Uh,…and you are…"

"Sora."

Jack walked towards them. "Well done Sora," He looked at the rest of them. "And you?"

"Kiera, Geoffrey, and Alana," Alana smiled. "And this is Donald and Goofy."

"I notice you also have a...key?" Jack leaned forward to take a closer look to the blade that Kiera held. "Can you do the same thing as he can?"

"Y-yeah," Kiera flushed, scratching the back of her head.

"Then, I'd like for you two to be apart of this year's Halloween."

"Just like that?" Alana raised a brow. "You're very trusting, aren't you, Bone-man?"

"What's this Heartless doing here?" Sora pointed at it.

Jack smiled. "Oh, the Heartless came to town just recently. What's frustrating is I can't get them to dance with me. So, the Doctor and I are trying to improve the guidance system. He's quite a genius. Okay Doctor, let's continue."

After they threw everything together, the experiment still failed.

"Oh well," Kiera sighed. "It was worth a shot."

"Maybe we're missing some ingredients." The doctor commented, looking through a book. "Let's try adding memory."

"Memory?" Kiera raised a brow. "What will that do?"

"Everything," The doctor turned. "Sally? Sally!" He gave a growl, popping open the top of his head to scratch his brain. "Good-for-nothing girl! Don't know why I bothered creating her!" He turned to look at Jack. "Sally's got the memory we need. See if you can track her down."

"No problem." Jack smiled. "I think I remember seeing her and Claire near the graveyard earlier." He turned to the new group. "Would you like to come along?"

"Sure!" Sora and Kiera answered together, smiles on their faces.

The moment the group exited the building, they were greeted by the Mayor screaming for Jack at the steps.

"Jack! Jack! We have a major crisis! The Heartless are completely out of control! We can't stop them."

"Hmm," Jack scratched his head. "Maybe our experiment triggered something. Everything'll be fine Mayor. You have nothing to worry about!"

"Trying to use the Heartless is a bad idea," Geoffrey told the Skeleton beside him. "I understand that you're not scared of them but if they get to the Heart of this place then you're entire world will be in danger."

"Heart of the world?" Jack asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," Kiera scratched the back of her head as Alana elbowed the teen beside her. "Geoffrey's just worried someone will get hurt."

Jack gave a huge grin. "I'm here! There's no need to worry about that!"

As Jack led them off, Alana gave a frown. "Kinda full of himself, isn't he?"

"He's the leader of this place; nothing happens without him. I'd be the same, I'm sure," Sora admitted. "Besides, I like him."

"Oh, I didn't say I didn't like him," She replied. "I-"

What ever was about to be said was lost at the sound of gunfire. Exiting the doctor's yard, Kiera gave a yelp and ducked as a Heartless went flying by her, smashing into the wall.

"That's 23 to 21, Vincent! You gotta move faster!"

"Hmm."

Jack gave a laugh as he moved past Kiera into the Square. "I'm glad to see that the two of you are enjoying yourselves."

"Jack."

"What's up, Bone-man?"

The duo they found shooting the Heartless made a grin crack and spread on both Geoffrey's and Alana's faces.

The man held the appearance of late 20's with long, silky black hair and crimson eyes as he stood about six feet in height. There was a red band on his head with his hair falling over it. He wore a tattered red cape, held in place over his shoulders and his lower face by several buckles. Beneath the cape he wore everything else in black from his neck to his feet with several more straps and buckles. There was a gun and a holster on his right leg and pointed, gold sabatons on his feet. On his left arm was a golden gauntlet with claw-like fingers.

The girl, also in her twenties, had short, blond hair cut off just under her ears and bright blue, Mako eyes. Her clothes were black jeans and boots with a long-sleeved, dark blue top with the images of a fire burning across it from her left hip. Her sword was on her hip with 2 belts and her gun and there was a thin, silver chain hanging around her neck with the emblem of a three-headed dog hanging from it.

Sora looked at the girl in shock. "Cloud?"

Pausing at the name, the woman turned from her conversation with Jack, her eyes sharp as she glared at the teen.

"Do I look like a man to you?" Reaching forward, she began to grind her fist into the top of Sora's head. "We might be twins but I swear-"

"Calm down, tiger," Alana stepped forward. "He meant no ill will."

The blonde woman turned to the others, a frown on her face. "Who are..." She took in Geoffrey's green hair. "No way."

Geoffrey, knowing what was going through her head, nodded, unable to hold back his smile. "Yes way."

She gave a squeal before pulling the oldest teen into her arms. "Look how big you've gotten! You're not a snotty, little brat anymore!"

Geoffrey laughed, returning her hug. "I'm glad to see that you're safe too, Claire."

"We ran into your brother at the Coliseum," Alana told her as Geoffrey was released. "He's been looking for the two of you; and Tifa."

"So, Tifa's missing too, hmm?" Claire glanced at Sora and the others. "And you are?"

"It's the Princess."

The silent man beside Jack turned her red eyes to the young girl beside Sora.

"Princess?" Sora, Donald, and Goofy all repeated the word as Kiera felt her face flush.

"Uh..." Kiera darted her gaze around. "We were trying to keep that all under wraps."

Claire shot the man a teasing look. "Good job, Vincent."

He closed his eyes. "My apologies."

"A-anyway," Alana chuckled. "This here is Claire Strife and Vincent Valentine. Claire is Cloud's twin."

Sora, remembering the blond that he had to fight, gave a shudder. "Your brother's been looking for you."

"Good. If he wasn't then I'd be pissed." Claire gave a grin. "I'm glad that we're not the only ones that got from Radiant Garden unharmed." She then frowned. "But what are you guys doing here?"

"Sora," Geoffrey glanced at the teen. "Take Kiera and go with Jack. Alana and I need to talk with them."

"Alright," Kiera nodded.

"Before we go," Jack looked at Claire. "Do you know where Sally is?"

"We told her to go hide in the Graveyard until all the Heartless were cleared out," the woman replied. "She was scared so you should comfort her."

"Oh, there's nothing to be afraid of," Jack replied, leading the way.

Claire gave a sigh before glancing back at the two before her and Vincent. "Look how big both of you are. You were six the last time I saw you."

"And you were fifteen," Alana glanced at Vincent. "And you look the same."

Vincent closed his eyes as Claire gave her a frown. "Where did you end up?"

"A place called Traverse Town," Geoffrey answered her. "Squall, Lucia, and the Heartilly Twins are there too, as well as Cid, Renee, Aerith, and Yuffie."

"It's like a big party," Claire crossed her arms.

"And you're not going to believe it," Alana grinned. "Renee's pregnant!"

Her eyes went wide. "Really?"

Claire had been good friends with Lucia and Renee when they were all in Radiant Garden. As one of the orphans that Bailey, Selia, and Lucient had take in, they had formed one, big family. The only one that had not been apart of their orphan group had been Vincent.

Vincent had been one of the guards of the Castle, answering straight to Sephiroth before he and Sienna decided to leave. He had been the one to train Bailey when she first arrived to Radiant Garden.

"Cloud ran into Sephiroth and Sienna about a year ago," Geoffrey was telling Claire. "They had a fight at the Coliseum and Sienna left him without a ship."

Claire pulled a face. Sienna was strong. "Is he there alone?"

"Jeanne and Zeke are there too. They've been there since they left Radiant Garden, apparently."

Claire gave a grin at Jeanne's name. Jeanne had been Sienna's student and, in turn, had been the one that started training her before she left. She had a lot of respect for the other woman; she also missed her.

"So, what's going on with the kid and the princess?"

"Well..."

As Alana and Geoffrey explained it to them, Vincent's face stayed a emotionless as ever and Claire wore a frown. They remembered everything that happened with Bailey and the other KeyBlade wielders that had come to Radiant Garden all those years ago. Having been one of the few to confront Maleficent when she attacked their home, Vincent had always had a reason to believe that she was led to their world due to Bailey. Maleficent had been looking for the young woman, after all; calling for her in the castle halls by name.

"I knew that Kiera had been given Bailey's Keyblade all these years ago, but who did the brat get his from?" Claire pondered.

"It doesn't matter where," Geoffrey told her. "What matters now is that he has it. We need to keep them both safe."

"And I don't disagree with that," She replied. "But the two of you are barely adults yourself. Perhaps Squall and Lucia should be with them. Or we could even grab Jeanne and my brother. Putting all of this on your shoulders just makes my stomach turn."

Alana smiled. "In all reality, Geoffrey and I shouldn't even be here. This is a journey for Sora and Kiera to complete; but I'm afraid our predecessors have rubbed on us a bit too much."

Claire smiled, knowing what the younger woman was talking about. Both Lucient and Selia had refused to let Bailey go off on her own when King Mickey had come to her for help.

"This is their battle," Vincent told the blonde beside him. "Let' them fight it. If help is wanted in the future then we can give it."

"Fine, fine."

Alana glanced between the two of them. "So, how have you two been? Is this the only world you've been on?"

"Yeah," Claire nodded. Jack found me in the forest by a bunch of weird-ass trees with holiday designs and Vincent here decided to lock himself up in a coffin in Jacks' basement for almost a year before I realized he was there."

"What the hell?" All eyes turned to Vincent as the man averted his gaze, staying silent.

Claire decided to explain; all while smiling. "My dear Valentine here felt that he had failed in protecting everyone and decided to lock himself up to repent his sins. I almost ripped his ear off dragging him out into social activity again."

"Women," Geoffrey sighed as Alana laughed. He then frowned. "After this we're headed back to the Coliseum. Cloud, Jeanne, and Zeke are there."

"You'll take us there?" Claire asked, clasping her hands together. To see her brother against after all these years, not to mention Jeanne and Zeke as well...

Vincent took one look at the face the woman was making before giving a short nod. "We'll go."

Alana smiled. "Good. Maybe you'll be able to help knock your brother out of the emo phase he's stuck in."

"You can count on it!"

"Geoffrey!" At Kiera's voice the four of them turned to see the young girl running up to them, a frown on her face. "We have a problem!"

"A problem?"

"Yeah, three brats just stole the heart we were making. Jack said that they were...Boogie's Boys?"

"Those three again?" Vincent sighed.

"I take it they're troublemakers?" Geoffrey commented.

"But of course; almost as bad as Braig and Andrea were."

Geoffrey frowned. He remembered how many times Lucient had to knock Braig inline; his girlfriend, too."How tedious."

"Here, you two sit this one out, the duck and the dog can, too." Claire smiled. "Vincent and I can help with this."

"Are you sure?" Alana raised a brow.

"Of course. The two of you have been taking care of the two of them since all this started, right? It's time for you to take a break. We know this world like the back of our hand. We'll go with the two of them and Jack."

"But we need to help find the Keyhole!" Donald growled.

"We can do it," Kiera affirmed.

"Yeah, all four of you should take a break. After all we've been through you deserve it." Claire laced her fingers together and cracked them. "I've been dying to fight for a while now and if Boogie's Boys are involved then that means I might get to deal with Boogie himself. It's payback time, bug-man."

"I take it you've had a run-in with him before." Alana commented.

"Living here ten years makes it kind of hard not to; not when you're good friends with his top rival," Claire shoved a thumb over her shoulder at the Bone-Man that Vincent was currently talking to. "You four go...do something. Catch some Zs. This became personal."

As Claire moved towards Jack and Vincent, Alana found herself frowning. "What do you think this Boogie guy did to her?"

"Maybe we don't want to know."

Jack had called for his ghost dog, Zero, to follow the scent of Lock, Shock, and Barrel. Boogie moved his manor around often so it was never in the same place twice. As they moved through the area following Zero, Claire announced to Jack that she and Vincent were leaving.

"Do you have to?" He asked her. "The two of you are such a big help during Halloween."

"I'm afraid so, Jack. Don't get me wrong, I love it here, but Alana and Geoffrey can take me back to my family. I've been without them for so long. I have a chance to see them again and I want to take it; but don't worry, we'll come back to visit, right Vincent?"

The man in red was silent for a moment before giving Jack a nod. "Of course. For next Halloween."

"And we'll bring Cloud, too. He can help as well."

"That would be great!" Their words seemed to lighten Jack's mood up again as he led them over Halloween Hill in the Graveyard.

"So, what did you mean when you called Kiera a princess?" Sora asked. "Is it because of her costume?"

"Uh...not exactly," Kiera began to press her fingers together.

"No use being shy now, Princess," Claire wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling the redhead close. "Kiera here is the Princess of Radiant Garden which means that, if their Kairi of yours really is her sister, then we found the missing princess. Now all we got to do is take our world back from Maleficent and things can go back to the way it was!"

Sora looked at his friend. "Are you really a princess?"

"I was," She commented. "But I can't really be a princess to a world that's gone, can I?" Kiera quickened her pace. Claire gave a sigh and hurried after her.

Sora gave a frown. "She doesn't like the thought of being a princess, does she?"

"Kiera feels responsible," Vincent's voice answered, making Sora remember than the quiet man was still beside him. "Maleficent was searching for Bailey and used Kiera as a target to get the other woman to come out. She feels that she was the cause of the Heartless coming to Radiant Garden and so, even as a child, felt that she should have been able to do something."

"But that was ten years ago; she was four!"

"I'm sure that Squall and the others have tried to tell her that before but if she's anything like Bailey then she's too stubborn for her own good."

"This Bailey that keeps coming up, who is she?"

"Bailey came to Radiant Garden thirteen years ago. No one really knew a lot of her past, but she was able to impress the King and earned a place as a guard; it transformed into her being the personal guard of the Princesses, Kiera and Kairi. I trained her a bit when she first arrived but she was a warrior already and lacked the need for it. Kiera had attached herself to the older woman in a heartbeat, following her everywhere. As I was told, King Mickey, the same one that your two friends work for, arrived in Radiant Garden and asked for her help."

"But why?"

"Because Bailey was a KeyBlade wielder," Vincent answered. "It was the only weapon Bailey would ever use; I had seen it so many times. It's that same one that Kiera always uses. I was told that, not long before we lost our world, that the KeyBlade appeared before Kiera and she's had it ever since."

Sora glanced ahead at the young redhead and the KeyBlade in her hands. It was dark with thorns scattered along the edges, a bright red ruby in the form of a rose at the center of the hilt. Kiera had told him it was called _Oblivion's Rose._ So that was Bailey's KeyBlade.

As they spoke, Jack had led them up the steps of a really, weird Mansion and at the very top were the three kids they were hunting. Claire was currently beating answers out of them.

"Ow ow ow ow! Stop it!" Lock cried. "We were just following orders! Oogie Boogie told us to steal the heart. It's all Barrel's fault. It was his idea to tell Oogie Boogie about the heart."

Shock jumped at the chance to throw the other boy under the bus. "Yeah, that's right!"

"B-but you guys said-"

"I don't care what he said," Claire ground her fist into their heads again. "Where's Oogie? I got a bone to pick with him and he can't run off this time!"

"J-just pull that lever and it'll open the door near the bottom; Oogie Boogie's in there," Shock cried, tears in his eyes.

"Good," Claire moved from the children as Vincent pulled the lever. "Jack, I want Oogie this time."

Jack wore a frown. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah! It's time for payback for what he did to me!"

"Just...what did he do to her?" Kiera asked, watching as Claire flew out of the Evil Playroom, heading for the stairs again; she was jumping over the side, grabbing each level with her hand until she reached the bottom.

"What are most women afraid of the most?" Jack asked with a smile, picking Kiera up in his arms and doing the same to follow Claire; Vincent did the same with Sora.

"Uh..." Sora and Kiera glanced at eachother, unsure of the answer that Jack was looking for.

Jack just laughed. "You'll see in a moment."

Claire was waiting for them outside the large, green door, tapping her foot impatiently. "Come on, come on, let's go!"

Jack shook his head. "Calm down, Claire. He's not going anywhere."

The older woman took a breath before nodding and glancing at the two children. "Alright, you two going to be able to do this?"

"No offense, Claire, but you're talking to the duo who took down a crazy Vizier, a Sea Witch, and a giant Chameleon. However this Oogie guy is is going to be a piece of cake." Sora replied.

"And that's where you'll fail," Vincent was the one to speak as he moved forward to the door. "Never assume you're stronger than your opponent. They'll always have something up their sleeves."

Kiera clapped a hand on Sora's disheartened shoulder before following the duo in, Jack taking up the rear beside Sora.

The Torture Chamber was like a Roulette station. Oogie Boogie turned out to be...he looked like a really, really big brown sack with legs, arms, and a face.

Jack stepped forward to speak first, pointing at him. "Oogie Boogie, give me back the heart!"

"You want it? Well then come on over and get it!" Oogie swallowed it, and Kiera pulled a face. He laughed. "Now, let's see if I can get their attention. Oh, Heartless!" He called, but only two showed up, and it made him angry. "This is it?" He growled. "Nobody disrespects me. Nobody!"

"Quit your whining, to sack of bugs!" Claire growled. "And get over here so I can beat the hell out of you!"

"Still upset are we, doll? And after something as small as that? You should really work on your temper."

Claire's attitude just got worse. "It wasn't a small thing, dammit! You do not, DO NOT, split a seam and spill out into my lap! Never! I was picking bug legs out of places that should never even be mentioned in front of others!"

As Oogie and Claire continued to go back and forth, Sora glanced at Jack. "I guess Claire doesn't like bugs."

"Yes. Unfortunately Lock, Shock, and Barrel told Oogie and, well, I'll just leave it at that."

Kiera glanced up. "Is he really full of bugs?"

"This is Halloween Town," Was the skeleton's answer.

She frowned. "Eww."

Oogie was more frustrating than tough. His spinning wheel kept making Kiera dizzy and the spikes that blocked him off from them were just annoying. Claire ended up getting a good swing at him though, tearing a large hole across his stomach. Oogie began to moan as bugs spilled out, crying for them to come back. Claire gave a cry and jumped on Vincent's back as the bugs began to crawl across the floor. It made Sora think of Alana jumping on Geoffrey in Agrabah.

Jack gave a sigh. "So, it was a failure after all." He looked disappointed.

"Oh, cheer up Jack," Claire told him, nudging him in the arm a bit. "You'll figure something out for Halloween. Come on. You're the Pumpkin King. If any one can do it, it's you."

That seemed to cheer him up, and he smiled as he led the way out. "Thanks Claire. That helps. But," He sighed again. "I still got to apologize to Sally. It seems that she was right."

"Oh, that'll be easy. Just don't-" She was cut short as Oogie's Manor changed.

"Huh?"

"How did he get so big?" Kiera asked, staring at the large form of Oogie that had merged into the manor.

"It looks like it's brimming with the power of darkness," Vincent announced, point at the large, purple orbs that were attached to him.

"So we just got to destroy those things, right?" Sora asked.

"Here, you two stay up here. Vincent, Jack, and I can handle this."

"But-"

"No buts," Claire told them. "If you were to jump down there then you'd die. We'll be back."

As the trio jumped over the side, Kiera gave a frown.

"They're right, you know,/" Sora told her.

"I know. Doesn't mean that I have to like it, though. One day, I'll be old enough and strong enough to where no one has to protect em or do things for me; I can do it all on my own."

"Well, you'll still have me, right?" Sora asked with a smile. "We're in this together, after all."

Kiera blinked for a moment, letting Sora's words register. She then smiled. "Yeah, I guess we are, aren't we?"

After the manor was taken care of, the Keyhole was revealed beneath it. Allowing Kiera to lock it this time, Sora led the way back into Town, happily carrying on a conversation with the other girl. When she was happy her personality was a lot like Kairi's.

Geoffrey, Alana, Donald, and goofy were all waiting for them right where they left them, talking with Sally. Jack moved up to her instantly.

"Oh Sally, why didn't I listen to you?" Jack asked her.

"Don't feel bad Jack. We'll come up with another plan for Halloween." She grabbed his hands, and his head lifted up. "And this time, we'll do it together."

"Aww, aren't the two of you cute," Alana smiled. "Makes me jealous."

"Don't worry, Alana, you'll find a guy somewhere," Claire told her. "Hey, he might be waiting for you in a coffin like mine was." She shot Vincent a teasing look. He just stared at her blankly before closing his eyes.

"As long as he talks more than yours done I'll take it." She laughed.

"I guess we have no choice," Jack sighed. "We'll have to cancel the Heartless Halloween festival for now." He then smiled. "Thank you for all your help. You can come visit us any time," He glanced at Claire. "And the two of you have to come back for next year's Halloween!"

"You can count on it," Claire nodded with a smile. "I'll drag everyone here, too. I'm sure Jeanne would enjoy it."

Kiera glanced at the others. "Did you enjoy your break?"

"It wasn't really a break," Donald answered. "We were destroying Heartless the entire time to keep the Town safe."

"Aww, that's too bad."

"We told them to go to the Ships but they didn't listen." Geoffrey replied..

"We couldn't leave the two of you here to defend this place all by yourself you know," Goofy chuckled. "We're friends!"

"Alright," Claire glanced at Geoffrey. "Let Vincent and I go grab our things and we'll be ready to leave. We might need some help, though."

"How much stuff do you have?"

"We've lived her for ten years; use your imagination."

"So that mean's a lot." Kiera glanced at Donald. "Can't you use your magic to help?"

"I can try." He then shook his head. "I mean of course I can! I'm the King's head mage! Just show me the way!"

Vincent began to lead the way, leaving Geoffrey and Claire in the town square. He gave a smile as Jack moved after them, offering to help as well.

"Are you sure you want to leave? You seem to enjoy being here and Jack likes both of you."

"I do like it here, a lot, but I miss my family. All of them, not just Cloud and Jeanne and Zeke." She looked at the younger man. "All this...we'll find a way to take Radiant Garden back from the Heartless, won't we?"

"That's the plan."

Good." She smiled. "I want to go home."

Geoffrey nodded in agreement. "When we get to the Coliseum we need to find Jeanne and the others as fast as possible."

Claire raised a brow. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I'll need your help; all of yours."

 **PLEASE REVIEW :)**


	14. Chapter 13

**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(**

 **Lucia, Kieran, Rayna, Claire, Renee, Zeke, Sienna, Jeanne, Melanie, and Charel are my OC characters from my Final Fantasy stories!**

 _ **Chapter Thirteen**_

 _ **Warnings**_

" **If Leon and Lucia caught me doing this then I wouldn't be able to sit for a week."**

Kiera grumbled to herself, keeping herself hidden around the corner of a building.

The group was once again at the Coliseum. The Hercules cup was the be held later that day. Geoffrey had told Sora and Kiera to get some last minute training in while he had run off with Claire, Vincent, and Alana. She had been doing just that but ever since their arrival, Geoffrey had been acting weird. No, the young man had been acting weird since the first trip here to the Coliseum. Ever since he received that book.

Bailey's book.

That's why Kiera was following him. He got that book somewhere around here and she was going to find out where and why it was there. Could Bailey be the one that gave it to him? If so, why had she revealed herself? All this did was give her more questions; she felt like her head was going to explode. She wanted answers, needed them.

Geoffrey and Alana had gone off with Claire and Vincent to look for Cloud. She followed them, dodging behind people and into alleyways. Claire's voice was loud and excited so it was easy to follow; and Vincent stuck out like a sore thumb on his own without even talking; you'd be able to follow him in the dark with that bright, red cloak of his.

She had, hopefully, not been noticed yet and if she had, no one had done anything about it. She didn't want to get scolded but she would deal with it if it came down to that.

"Are you sure that Cloud and the others are here? This doesn't really seem to be the place Jeanne would hang out at."

"It's Jeanne, Claire," Alana replied. "It's been nearly 15 years since you seen her; she's probably really different."

"Jeanne is Jeanne," the blonde woman countered. "I have no doubt that Zeke or someone else is keeping her here."

"By someone else," Geoffrey began. "Are you referring to Sienna?"

At the name, Vincent froze in the street and stared at the younger man. "Sienna is here?"

"I'm not sure," Geoffrey answered. "But this is the last place she and Sephiroth were seen." He shook his head. "If we can find the two of them that we would have no problem in removing Maleficent and the heartless from Radiant Garden. Unfortunately the duo has disappeared after... after what happened with Zack."

"Zack?" Claire frowned. "What happened to him?"

"He's dead," Alana was the one to answer this time. "Sephiroth...well..."

Claire looked appalled. "But...but Zack was his student! Sephiroth wouldn't do that; why would he do that?"

"The one who can answer that Sephiroth or Sienna," Geoffrey shook his head. "So that answer will not be found so easily."

"But-"

"Eavesdropping is not very becoming, you know."

Kiera whipped around in shock at the voice and her eyes widened at the figure the stood before her. This was the same man that used Cloud in his plot to kill Hercules! She stood before Hades.

She wanted nothing more than to knock this 'God' down from his pedestal but she knew that she would be able to do that; not alone anyway. She was still angry at what he did to Cloud, though.

Keeping her voice down so the others couldn't hear her, she hissed at him through clenched teeth. "What do you want?"

"Oh, well, here I was just taking a stroll, and I come to find out that I have a lost Princess in my town! I was dying just under a hand."

"Your tricks won't work on me Hades," She told him. And then frowned. "How do you know..." She stopped herself.

"Princess, I know everything here," Hades replied with a smile. "You think you can hide from us? We know your every step; we know what move you're going to make before you even make it."

"So you are a part of the ones working with the Heartless aren't you?"

"Maybe," Hades gave her a grin. "Let's just cut to the chase now, shall we? Are you going to come quietly or am I going to have to get violent?"

Kiera opened her mouth to call for Geoffrey, hoping that the group was still nearby as she got ready to summon her Keyblade up but movement behind the blue man on fire made her freeze. It was a woman in a long, leather jacket, the hood pulled up over her face, hiding it all.

"Step away from her, Hades," The cloaked woman growled.

"Xebliya," Hades grinned, turning to face her. "Still lurking around here, are you? How many times do I have to tell you that you're not welcome on my turf? This is my show."

"Whose show?" A smooth voice came from behind Kiera and the young girl had to turn again before taking a step back from the man that stood close behind her. Her face blushed; she had nearly slammed her face into the bare chest that was presented before her.

At 6'1' in height, the man was dressed head to foot black leather with silver pauldrons. His chest was bare, covered was crossing, leather straps. His hair was long and silver, reached nearly to his ankles, and his eyes were a catlike green with leather gloves on his hands.

"Are you alright?"

The soft voice made Kiera realize that there was someone standing beside the tall man and she flushed even harder due to her just gawking at the new man.

The woman at his side was 5'11' with long black hair to her waist and matching catlike eyes to his. She was also dressed head to foot black leather and the jacket covered all the crest of the grey top she wore. A pair of crystal earrings hung from her ears and a pair of black gloves were on her hands.

"Y-yes, I'm fine."

"The two of you decided to show up again, huh?" Hades hissed. "Should have known you would have gone to them for help." He shot at the woman in the cloak behind him.

"You only continue to rule what you do because we have decided not to obliterate you," The woman with black hair smiled. "See that you tread carefully."

"Are you threatening me?" Hades glared. "This is my show, Lady."

"Shall we make it ours, then?" The man asked, glancing at the woman beside him.

"If his attitude gets any worse then I believe we shall have to. His longing after Zeus' son is becoming quite tedious, after all. One would think that he's in love."

Hades pulled a furious face before turning to the side. "Fine, keep the brat. Just stay out of my way; all of you." He glanced at Kiera as a doorway opened before him. "You won't be protected by others forever, Princess."

Kiera watched as Hades disappeared, releasing the air that she hadn't known she had been holding.

"Are you all right?"

At the voice, Kiera turned to see that it was the black haired woman speaking to her again, a soft smile on her face; this one seemed softer than the one she had given Hades.

"Yes, I'm fine." She glanced between the three. "Thank you for your help. I doubt that creating a fight with the Lord of the Underworld here would have been the best idea."

"Surely not for you," The woman nodded and then glanced at the other one behind Kiera. "I'm surprised you didn't move faster, Xebliya. Waiting for Hades to move first could result in something very unpleasant."

"Coming from the woman that did the same thing," The cloaked woman shot back.

The man closed his eyes. "Why have you come back, Xebliya?"

"You know why. I will come back and ask you over and over as many times as I need to. If only you would listen to me and-"

"The two of us have no desire to return," The man replied with a smooth smile. "We left it behind. Returning now would be pointless and a waste of our time. Trying to bring back a ruined kingdom is not a future that we've set for ourselves."

"And yet hiding away here the coliseum is?" Xebliya snarled. "I don't understand it. With your strength, Sephiroth, you could-"

"Sephiroth?!" Kiera repeated the name loudly in shock. "And that means...you...you're Sienna?" Kiera felt astonished. These were who Geoffrey and the others were talking about. This is who Geoffrey had wanted to find! She needed to get them over here but the look Sienna gave her kept her pinned to the ground. She felt her knees begin to tremble. These were also the same people that had killed Zack...whoever that was.

And now she was stuck in an alleyway with them. Maybe she should have just stayed with Sora and the others to begin with.

"Hades called you a princess," Sephiroth began with a small smile, changing to subject to the young teen before them. "Would you, perhaps, be one of the twins from Radiant Garden?"

"S-something like that," Her voice trembled. His eyes were intense; both of theirs were.

"Even if she is," Xebliya moved forward, placing a hand on the young teen's shoulder. "You still won't reconsider?"

"The Heartless are not our problem," Sienna commented. "Maleficent is the one that brought them there; we were long gone before it happened. Neither do the Unknown, the Unversed, or any other of the strange creatures that are appearing. Sephiroth and I are no longer going around doing the dirty work of other people. If you wish to save the kingdom, find a way to do it on your own."

These were the people that Geoffrey was looking for? This is who he wanted to help them take back Radiant Garden?

"I never asked for your help," Kiera growled. "Radiant Garden is my responsibility; I'll be the one to find a way to save it. I don't need your help." She could feel all three sets of eyes on her but she kept her eyes trained on Sephiroth, refusing to look away. She felt her eyes waver but gave a sigh of relief when he closed his and turned with a smile.

"You've a strong heart, Princess," He told her. "Bailey should be proud."

Her anger faded. "You... You know Bailey?"

"Hmm," Sienna turned as well. "Do take care to stay out of trouble now; or at least stay with your companions. That goes for both of you."

Kiera could only watch as Sephiroth and Sienna disappeared into the crowd outside of the alley again, leaving her with Xebliya. She glanced at the strange woman; she only stared back. "Do you also know Bailey?" Silence answered her. "If you know where she is, then tell me! How do you know Sephiroth and Sienna? And why are you trying to get their help with Radiant Garden?" Silence still. "Who are you? How do you know who I am?"

"Full of questions, aren't you?" Xebliya replied curtly. "You would do best to learn when to ask and when to stay silent."

"Threaten me all you like, I won't be quiet until I get my answers!"

The older woman sighed and mumbled something under her breath. Kiera caught one word; change. She narrowed her eyes. Could it...

"It is you, isn't it?" Kiera tried to peer into the hood but Xebliya turned her head.

"Its dangerous out here, Princess. It would be best for you to return to your friends."

"You have to answer my questions first. I won't give in. I need answers. Even Geoffrey and Alana are keeping secrets from me now; I need to know. I HAVE a right to know what's going on!"

Xebliya stayed silent. Kiera wanted to fight for her answers but knew that she would get nowhere with this woman.

She had to keep trying, though. "It's you, isn't it? You're the one that gave Geoffrey Bailey's book, aren't you? Why did you have it? What have you done with her? If you hurt her, or any of the others, then I will-"

"Return to your friends," Xebliya cut her off. "You're nowhere near ready for Hades, let alone the other enemies that you will find standing in your way. It would be best for the child of a ruined kingdom to return home and wait for others to resolve the problem for her."

"Never," The woman's words were harsh, angering the young teen even further. "I...I couldn't do anything when Bailey left with Terra and the others but now I'm older; I can help and I'll start by finding her! Both her and my sister!"

"Your sister?" Xebliya sounded surprised. "But she..." She felt silent, turning her head. "Return to the others before it's known that you were following Geoffrey and the others. He won't be pleased."

Kiera wanted to ask more questions but the woman had begun to walk away. She needed to know if this was really Bailey or if this was just someone playing her for a fool. Could it really be her? She had so many questions.

"One day you will realize," Kiera began softly; the woman paused in her steps. "The stars you are chasing shine bright deep inside you, but will you ever let it shine from within and cast all of your fears aside? You'll see the light, but until that day comes..."

This was her last chance. If this was really Bailey, then...

Silence spread between them and Kiera hung her head. If it had been Bailey then she would have finished the song. Finished the Lullaby that she had created for her and Kairi all those years ago. She turned to walk away.

"My Dearly Beloved, be strong, I shall be there, always here beside you so keep you head held high the shadows of this world will try to steal you away into their arms but you belong in mine."

Kiera froze at the words and turned back to Xebliya. She hadn't moved but the words had come from her mouth; were continuing to do so. "Ocean waves drift over me. I'll keep you in my memories," Kiera felt the tears build up. "This dream that lives within your eyes. I wish to see it come to life."

Kiera ran at the woman, moving in front of her before gripping her tightly in her arms, her words muffled as she continued to sing. "A thousand blades unto the sky reach out and link our worlds, yours and mine, let the tide rush over you. And one day I know we shall meet again. My dearly beloved." She had found her. This was her; only she, Kairi, and Bailey knew that song. No one else! "I...I thought I'd never see you again! Why? Why didn't you come back!?"

Nothing moved, as if frozen, before the woman lifted her arms and held the young teen carefully, as if afraid to touch her.

"Bailey, why?!"

"I..." The woman's voice was soft, her embrace warm, but Kiera felt her heart break when she was pushed away, held back at arms' length. "My name isn't Bailey."

"Then how did you have her book? She was writing that for me and my sister!"

"Bailey is...lost in darkness. She fights in earnest but it is futile. I was merely...completing a wish her head made by giving you the book. Her heart tries to be strong but she continues to waver. I fear...the worst, should she not..."

"She's fighting? What is she fighting?" Kiera demanded. "Does this have something to do with the Heartless? Tell me! I can help her!"

"There is nothing that you can do; this is a fight she must win for herself. If you believe in her...trust her."

Kiera nodded. She didn't understand. Everything was so confusing. She thought this woman was Bailey, she even knew her song, but perhaps it wasn't. Nothing was making sense any more. "I believe in Bailey; she can do anything!"

There was a laugh from under the hood. "As a KeyBlade wielder, you are already involved in the darkness but as a princes...your role is much more significant than just that. You are a half to a whole, Kiera. Whatever you do, don't fail." The hands on her arms tightened; making Kiera wince. "Don't travel to Hollow Bastion; don't return to Radiant Garden."

"Don't...return?" She repeated. "But how...how do I save them if I don't return? How can I save my world if I do go back?!"

"All good things to those who wait," Was her answer. Xebliya let go of her and began to back away. Behind her a dark portal opened, waiting for her to step inside it. "Be a good princess and return to Traverse Town; there you will be safe."

Kiera stared into the alley for a long time after that strange woman disappeared. She had been told to go back to Traverse Town and Leon and Lucia and the others. She was told to stop her journey with Sora and the others.

There's no way that she would be able to do that. Not after coming as far as they had. And what did she mean by calling her a half? What was she half of? Nothing was making any sense.

Should she tell the others about this? She would, without a doubt, get scolded for this, but wouldn't it be a good idea to tell them?

~Even if I did, they wouldn't tell me anything valuable,~ She told herself. ~They would just hide more and more things from me, no doubt. I could...I could tell Sora, though. He's a KeyBlade Wielder just like me. Two heads are better than one, after all. Bouncing ideas off him could prove useful.~

She would find her own answers, and Bailey, if it was the last thing she'd ever do.

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	15. Chapter 14

**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(**

 **Lucia, Kieran, Rayna, Claire, Renee, Zeke, Sienna, Jeanne, Melanie, and Charel are my OC characters from my Final Fantasy stories!**

 _ **Chapter Fourteen**_

 _ **Trouble on Deck**_

" **LET ME OUT!"**

"Shouting at them isn't going to do anything, you know."

"Shut up and help me break this door!"

Geoffrey sighed as Alana tried to break the door again. "Without our weapons our best bet would be to burn it down but I don't feel like dying so let's not try that, shall we?"

The gummi ships had been overtaken by a pirate ship and Kiera was currently...kidnapped? Sora had announced that he had run into his friend Riku again and that Kairi had been with him. The group was locked up in what appeared to be some kind of cell and Geoffrey was having a staring contest with a strange boy dressed head to foot in green that was currently sitting in the corner of the room.

"If you're looking for a way out, I can help." The boy decided to speak, feeling a bit nervous under Geoffrey's intense blue gaze.

Goofy looked at the boy, as if just noticing him. "What are you?"

The boy struck a pose. "I'm the answer to your prayers!" Donald gave a scoff, making the boy frown. "Okay then. Have it your way."

"But your stuck in here too, aren't you?" Sora asked him.

"Hmph," He crossed his arms. "No. I'm just waiting for someone."

"Who?" Sora asked, and then,as if on cue, a fairy came flying in from out of nowhere. Alana gave a little shriek and then blushed as everyone looked at her.

"What? I thought it was a bug."

Sora raised a brow. "You don't like bugs?"

"Shut up, Sora."

"Tinker Bell, what too you so long?" The boy asked. The Fairy began to make sounds, as if communicating with him. "Great job. So, you found Wendy? Hold on, there were two girls with her?" He listened. "Are you crazy? There is no way I'm gonna leave Wendy there!"

"Aha! She must be pretty jealous." Donald declared laughing, and it made Tinker Bell kick him in the bill, and then fly out the hole through the door.

"Come on Tink," The boy called to her. "Open up the door." Geoffrey cleared his throat and the boy looked back at the others. "I'm Peter Pan." He held his hand out for Sora to take.

"I'm Sora." He went to take the hand, but Peter pulled it away before he could.

"Okay, we're in this together, but only until we find Wendy."

Alana frowned at him. "Not very polite, are you?"

"What makes you say that?"

"We don't have time for this," Geoffrey was the first out of the room. "We need to find Kiera and Kairi."

The entire ship was covered in Heartless, no real surprise there. Sora still had his Keyblade so he and Peter had to do most of the fighting until the others found their weapons again. They weren't that far though, thank god, and the door to the room they were in wasn't even locked.

"These guys are horrible at this," Alana commented. No crew members; nothing but heartless. "Don't they realize that simple, black bugs like these won't pose a threat to us anymore."

"And it's thinking like that that can get you killed, Alana," Geoffrey frowned as he destroyed another Heartless. "If you get careless then you'll end up dying."

"Yes, mom."

Geoffrey felt his anger getting worse and worse as the group moved through the ship. Peter had sprinkled them all with Pixie dust and Donald had tried to fly but ended up failing miserably. They had also talked through a vent to the Wendy that Peter was looking for but no word of Kairi or Kiera was given, making him really start to worry. He couldn't let Kiera be taken and she refused to let Kairi slip through his fingers again; not like all those years ago.

He refused to have a repeat of ten years ago. He refused to let Kiera disappear like Kairi did. He refused to break another promise to Lucient.

"Are you all right, Geoffrey?" Sora's voice made the older teen realize that he had stopped walking, Alana continuing to lead the others ahead as Sora paused to talk to him. "Do you need a break?"

"No, I'm fine," He shook his head. "Just thinking about some things."

Sora was silent for a moment before frowning. "You and Alana both feel guilty but there's no need for you to be. The Heartless attacked when you were kids. Alana was barely six! You couldn't do anything!"

"I know this, we both do, but it does nothing to lessen the pain or guilt." Geoffrey took a breath. "Bailey was the one that held the Keyblade before Kiera. Before the Heartless arrived, there were these white, strange creatures called the Unversed. King Mickey came to our Kingdom to ask for Bailey's help. There were three other Keyblade wielders that were involved. They were Bailey's old friends; Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. But Selia, Alana's sisters, and my teacher Lucient, refused to let Bailey fight alone and helped. The last time either of us saw any of them, Lucient made me promise to protect Kiera and Kairi from the Heartless and anything else that came our way. Now I have a chance to fix letting Kairi disappear but if I had to choose who to save...I might not be able to save everyone. Kiera's already taken by the enemy. The further we go, the worse all this becomes. The more dangers we face. We've gotten lucky but I'm afraid of what comes next."

Sora blinked. "You're afraid of facing Maleficent, aren't you?"

Geoffrey was silent for a moment. "I...I don't know if it's fear. I first saw her when she came to take over Radiant Garden. She set the Heartless upon everyone and then moved through the castle, demanding for Bailey to show herself and join her. I had hurried to get the twins but Kairi was nowhere to be found. I watched as that Sorceress struck down everyone in her path. I ran from the castle with Kiera, not knowing where Kairi was." He could see that horrid day playing through his mind. Kiera, that sweet, determined child, had tried to fight the Heartless with the Keyblade that she had acquired only weeks before. She had destroyed a few but she was a child. Not even 5. He had to get her out of there fast. "Not saving Kairi as well has always haunted me.'

"I think I know what your problem is, Geoffrey," Sora began. The older teen looked at him. "You're trying to carry it all on your own, despite having Alana and Kiera here. Not you have Donald, Goofy, and me too. Don't forget that we're all working towards the same thing. If you can't accomplish something then there are others here who can help and do just that. If you can't save Kairi, then I'll do it. And if I can't, then Alana will. Or even Kiera. We're all partners now, so don't try and do everything alone. Even Lucient needed Selia and Bailey, right?"

Geoffrey was silent for a moment before a smile spread across his face. "You're right. Who knew that I would be outsmarted by a twelve-year-old?"

Sora gave him a look. "I'm fourteen!"

"Are you really? But you're so short."

"Not you too!" Sora stomped a foot and crossed his arms. "Alana already teases me about my height enough; don't you start, too!"

Geoffrey laughed before ruffling Sora's hair as he passed him. "Let's hurry. The faster we more, the better chance we have of saving the twins before something else happens."

Alana and the others had reached the Captain's room by the time Sora and Geoffrey rejoined them and just inside they found two of the three people they were searching for.

Riku was standing there, holding a young girl with short red hair in a white tank top and a purple skirt.

Everyone froze.

"It's actually her," Alana's voice rang through the room. The young girl that Riku was holding was a spitting image of Kiera, just shorter hair. "It's actually her, Geoffrey!"

The older man just glared at the shorter teen, anger and relief passing through him. "Where's Kiera?" Riku stared at him in silence. "Where is she!?"

There wasn't a vocal answer, but a large black blob that slid into the room from the doorway that Riku stood in front of. The blob then proceeded to separate into three different forms that happily leered at the group before them.

"Is that...us?" Sora asked aloud, shock on his face. A form of himself, Geoffrey, and Alana stood before them, black with glowing yellow eyes, like the Heartless.

"Anti-us'," Geoffrey commented. "That means this fight it going to be hard if they're as strong as we are, too."

"I don't care!" Alana growled. "I'll kick his ass. I'll kick your ass. I'll kick my own ass!" With a roar, the young woman launched herself at her other form, beginning one of the hardest brawls the group had yet to face.

Sora would have found Alana's comment comical if the situation would have been different. H was worried. At least he knew Kairi was safe and hadn't disappeared like others did when their world had disappeared, but he was worried. She hadn't been moving. Had she really lost her heart like Riku had previously said?

 _The hole dropped them onto Geppetto's ship again and Kiera helped Donald to his feet._

" _Pinocchio! Pinocchio!" Geppetto cried, as they all looked up to see that Riku held Pinocchio once more, slung over his arm. "Please! Give me back my Son!"_

" _Sorry Old man. I've got some unfinished business with this puppet." Riku told him._

" _He's no puppet! Pinocchio is my little boy!"_

 _Riku snorted. "He is unusual. Not very many puppets have hearts. I'm not sure, but maybe he can help someone who's lost theirs."_

" _Wait a minute," Sore told him. "Are you talking about Kairi?_

" _What do you care about her?" Riku shot Kiera a look, and then walked through to yet another chamber. She raised a brow._

 _~What was that for?~_

" _Do...do you think Kairi's lost her heart?" Sora asked her._

 _Kiera gave a frown. "I can't say. Riku's working with Maleficent. Either way, she's using Kairi to make him help her."_

" _We have to stop him."_

" _If we can..."_

 _They followed after him quickly, and Riku turned to face them._

" _Let Pinocchio go, Riku!" Sora ordered._

" _A puppet that's lost his heart to the heartless…maybe it holds the key to helping Kairi. How about it Sora? Let's join forces to save her. We can do it together." He walked towards them, but Sora made ready for an attack. "What? You both rather fight me? Over a puppet that has no heart?"_

" _Heart or no heart." Sora began. "At least he still has a Conscience."_

" _Conscience?" Riku scoffed._

 _Sora continued as Jiminy ran to Pinocchio. "You might not hear it, but right now, it's loud and clear. And it's telling me, that you're on the wrong side!"_

" _Then you leave me no choice." Riku told him._

" _Pinocchio! Pinocchio!" Jiminy yelled, stopping in front of the Puppet._

" _Jiminy…I'm not gonna make it." He whispered. Jiminy then gasped as Pinocchio's nose grew longer. "Oh! I guess I'm okay." Jiminy began to jump up and down as Kiera laughed. Riku looked down, as if defeated._

" _The offer still stands." Kiera called out to him."Leave Maleficent and come with us."_

 _Riku's face contorted. He seemed to be having an inner battle with himself about whether or not to come with them. Kiera went to speak again but the Parasite Cage returned, nearly squashing her. Sora had barely grabbed her and pulled her out of the way in time._

And what about Kiera? Why were they after her now? Could it have something to do with why Alice was taken? Or Jasmine? If so, what was the enemy planning? Maleficent was at the head of all of this. Perhaps...several times Sora heard of Maleficent wanting Kiera's guard, Bailey, to return and face her; to join her. Perhaps taking Kiera and Kairi was her way of trying to force the other woman to show herself.

That also meant that if Kairi really was Kiera's sister, it couldn't be denied now, that Kairi was a princess. Things just kept getting weirder and weirder around here the further they went but Sora wanted to find all the answers; and not just for himself, but for the others, too.

"Damn, you two are such a pain in the ass," Alana breathed when the Antis were finally defeated. "Maybe we shouldn't be training Sora this much anymore, Geo."

Geoffrey laughed as Sora began to argue with the other teen. "I believe that would bode ill for all of us." He checked on Donald, Goofy, and Peter before the group continued through the door that Riku had disappeared behind. They didn't find him, but a passed out girl in a blue nightgown.

Wendy.

Peter hurried to her, frightened, and Tinker Bell flew away, steamed again.

"Well, this is as far as I can go. I gotta help Wendy." Peter apologized.

"That's okay Peter. We understand. Just be careful, okay?" Alana told him with a smile. "Just go and take care of your girlfriend."

He blushed a bit, and nodded his head back before flying off.

"Aww, how sweet," The girl giggled. "He didn't even deny it."

"Let's focus, Alana," Geoffrey told his friend. "We don't know what's waiting for us on the other side so be ready for anything. If we're lucky, it'll be Maleficent."

"I doubt we'd be that lucky but here's to hoping," Alana sighed and reached for the door.

It led them out onto the deck of the ship they had been traveling through for the last hour but instead of Riku and the twins or even that evil witch, they were greeted by a man in a red coat and hat with curly black hair. The Captain.

"Quite a Codfish, that Riku…running off with both of those girls without even saying goodbye." The man waved an arm, giving them view of the hook that had replaced his hand.

"Run off where? Tell me! Where did he go?" Sora demanded angrily.

"Off to the Castle Hollow Bastion. Where Maleficent resides." Hook answered.

"What?!" Geoffrey and Alana both repeated angrily.

"Ah, yes, the Princess' guards," Hook sighed. "Not very good ones, though, considering that both the Princesses have been snatched from your grasp. I'm afraid that you won't be following them to Hollow Bastion, though." He pulled out Tinker Bell from behind his back. "Not unless you intend to leave your little Pixie friend behind." Sora sighed, and his KeyBlade disappeared. "Hand over the KeyBlade, and I'll spare your lives. Be glad I'm merciful, unlike the Heartless."

"Never!" Sora yelled.

"Then you must walk the plank!" He looked over, and saw the Crocodile. "Oh, Smee! It's him! He's after me other hand! I can't stay here! Go away! Oh, I can't stand to sight of him!" He tossed Tink to Smee. "Oh, Smee, you take care of them!" He hurried off into his cabin, and Sora walked out onto the plank.

Alana tilted her head to the side. "Is he serious?" She glanced at Geoffrey. "Did he seriously just do that?"

"I'm just as confused as you are," He replied. He turned to find that Sora was at the end of the plank, Heartless advancing on him. "Sora, stop playing and-"

"SORA!" Alana's voice ripped from her throat in shock as the young teen jumped off the plank. She went to run forward, about to dive off and save him, but Heartless got in her way, making her whip out her weapon and attack. She gave a sigh of relief though, as Sora came flying by her to help with the Heartless as Peter saved Tinkerbell from Smee.

No words were exchanged as they destroyed the Heartless but the moment she got a chance she hit Sora in the head.

"Ow! What was that f-" His words were lost as Alana glared at him.

"Don't scare me like that, you jerk! At least give me a warning next time so my heart doesn't stop!"

Sora grinned at her. "Were you worried about me?"

She crossed her arms and turned her back to him. "As if."

Sora couldn't help but leave the large grin across his face as he turned to Peter. "So, should we leave Hook to you or can we help?"

Peter returned his grin. "I have an idea." He moved towards the Captain's Quarters and pinched his nose as he knocked on the door.

Hook's voice came from inside. "Is that you Smee? Did you finish them off?"

"Aye Captain," He sounded just like Smee! "They walked the Plank, every last one of them." Hook came running out, looking for them, and Peter stabbed him in the butt with his dagger.

"P-Peter Pa-Blast you!"

"Ready to make a splash, you Codfish? Now it's your turn to walk the plank!"

Hook was feisty, they agreed on that. He was the most powerful enemy they had to face to date. His swordsmanship rivaled that of Leon and Lucia, making his dangerous if they weren't on guard. Poor Donald and Goofy were the first to fall out, Alana being sure to stay close so Hook couldn't take advantage of them, leaving the main fight to Geoffrey, Peter, and Sora. Hook held his own quite well but eventually he was defeated.

Silence fell around the ship and Sora looked up at the sky.

"He took Kiera...and Kairi couldn't wake up, so maybe she really lost her-"

"Shh!" Donald hushed Goofy.

"Sora." Peter said.

"I still can't believe it. I really flew! Wait 'til I tell Kairi. I wonder if she'll believe me. Probably not."

Alana shook her head at his words. Nothing could get that child down, could it?

"You can bring her to Neverland sometime. Then she can try it herself." Sora looked at them all.

"If you believe, you can do anything, right?" He asked, and Geoffrey nodded at him. "I'll find Kairi. I know I will. There's so much that I want to tell her-About flying, the pirates, and everything else that's happened. And we'll save Kiera, too!"

"You damn right we will," Alana moved forward and slung an arm around Sora's shoulders. "And when we catch up to Riku, whether he's your friend or not, we'll give him a good thrashing, won't we?"

Geoffrey stepped up beside them. "We all will."

"What's that Tink?" Peter's voice made them all turn to look at him and the fairy. "What about the Clock Tower? You sat there's something there?"

"Maybe it's the Keyhole," Geoffrey commented.

"Are we ever that lucky?" Alana asked.

Sora grinned. "I don't know; we've been pretty lucky this far. Why not 'believe it'?"

Alana blinked. "Did you just-"

"Come on, Alana!" Sora jumped into the air to start flying. "If you don't hurry we'll leave you behind."

Alana's mouth dropped open as the others launched into the air and stared flying; even Geoffrey. Good lord it was strange to see that older teen with a laugh and a smile. He was normally so...stoic.

"That's not fair, guys! Wait for me!"

 **PLEASE REVIEW :)**


	16. Chapter 15

**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(**

 **Lucia, Kieran, Rayna, Claire, Renee, Zeke, Sienna, Jeanne, Melanie, and Charel are my OC characters from my Final Fantasy stories!**

 **Lilith, I know it's been so long and I feel really really bad for that! Life has been a roller coaster lately but hopefully I can give you a few chapters before things get crazy again!**

 _ **Chapter Fifteen**_

 _ **Home**_

" **You're a traitor."**

"I'm doing this for a good reason."

"Still a traitor."

"I'm trying to save your sister."

" _Traitor_!"

Riku closed his eyes at the shout and tried not to sigh. "I'm sorry."

"If you were sorry, you'd let me out and you'd come with me."

He stared for a moment before turning. "I'll be back later."

Kiera glared after Riku as the boy left her locked in the cell she had been placed in. This was where she had been kept since their Gummi Ships had been overtaken by a group of pirates. She had dueled with a man in red with a hook for a hand but she had lost. He had been extremely skilled.

Riku had apparently brought her to Maleficent but she had only seen the other teen here. Riku had come to see her three times, to try and talk, but she only responded by calling him a traitor or trying to convince him to join her, Sora, and the others.

So far it hadn't worked.

She gave a sigh.

"Leon and Lucia are going to be so mad at me."

Just what were the others doing right now? Had Renee given birth yet? Had Yuffie made Cid pull all his hair out? How full of dalmatian puppies was Kieran and Rayna's house by now? Had Claire and the others stayed at the Coliseum or had they gone back with Leon to Traverse Town after the Hercules Cup? And that woman...Hades and Sienna had called her Xebliya...what was she doing right now?

" _Bailey is...lost in darkness. She fights in earnest but it is futile. I was merely...completing a wish her head made by giving you the book. Her heart tries to be strong but she continues to waver. I fear...the worst, should she not..."_

" _She's fighting? What is she fighting?" Kiera demanded. "Does this have something to do with the Heartless? Tell me! I can help her!"_

" _There is nothing that you can do; this is a fight she must win for herself. If you believe in her...trust her."_

 _Kiera nodded. She didn't understand. Everything was so confusing. She thought this woman was Bailey, she even knew her song, but perhaps it wasn't. Nothing was making sense any more. "I believe in Bailey; she can do anything!"_

 _There was a laugh from under the hood. "As a KeyBlade wielder, you are already involved in the darkness but as a princess...your role is much more significant than just that. You are a half to a whole, Kiera. Whatever you do, don't fail." The hands on her arms tightened; making Kiera wince. "Don't travel to Hollow Bastion; don't return to Radiant Garden."_

" _Don't...return?" She repeated. "But how...how do I save them if I don't return? How can I save my world if I don't go back?!"_

" _All good things to those who wait," Was her answer. Xebliya let go of her and began to back away. Behind her a dark portal opened, waiting for her to step inside it. "Be a good princess and return to Traverse Town; there you will be safe."_

Xebliya had told her to return to Leon and the others but she had ignored it and continued on. Now she had been captured by the enemy. She could almost guarantee that Xebliya would be furious. But there was nothing to be done about that now. She wasn't going to stop her journey, she wasn't going to stop fighting the Heartless. She would never stop searching for Bailey and the others. She would never stop until she was able to restore Radiant Garden back to it's former glory and beat Maleficent for all that she had done.

She knew that her first step to do that was to escape but she had tried to already. Maleficent must have placed a spell on the Cell door because her Keyblade wasn't able to unlock it so she could get out.

~She's a smart witch, I'll give her that. Annoying, too.~

What was her fascination with Bailey, anyway? She was like a stalker; it's was getting kind of creepy. She wanted all of those answers but it seemed that she was going to have to ask Maleficent for them personally; she didn't want to go anywhere near that witch if she could help it but apparently she just wasn't going to get what she wanted.

"Well, well, well, what have we here? A Princess locked in her own castle's dungeon? Who'd have thought it?"

The voice made Kiera lift her head. She had made a bed for herself on the floor and had been staring at the ceiling when Riku had come to talk to her. Standing there on the other side of her cell was a lone figure, dressed in a long, black, leather jacket. She thought that it was Xebliya for a moment but she realized that the figure was shorter than the woman that she had encountered at the Coliseum; her voice was too high, too.

Kiera cocked a brow. "My own dungeon?"

The form gave a laugh. "Oh, the poor thing! You don't even know where you are, do you?!" The woman grabbed a hold of the bars and leaned forward, her face hidden by her hood. "Think about it, Princess. _YOUR_ dungeon."

Kiera was silent, her brows narrowing. "He brought me to Radiant Garden?"

"Bingo! We have a winner!" The woman laughed. "But then again, I suppose it's not so _Radiant_ anymore; not after what Maleficent did to it. They call it Hollow Bastion now. It's a shame, too. It used to be so pretty."

Kiera sat up and stared at her. "What do you want? You dress like her so are you friends with Xebliya? Are you some kind of organization, going around dressed like that?"

"All your answers will come soon enough, princess. Right now, the only question you should be asking is how are you going to save your sister?"

"You know where she's at?" Kiera jumped to her feet and moved closer.

"Of course I know, but I'm afraid that she no longer has her heart. That's why that boy is going through all this trouble; to try and give it back to her, but I'm afraid that he's doing it all for nothing. You see, we know where the heart is, but you can't reach it without...unlocking it, so to say."

Kiera's frown only grew. "What are you talking about?"

"I believe Xebliya warned you not to come here but seeming as how you've been kidnapped, it's not ENTIRELY your fault. It would be in all our best interests if I were to set you free here and now but knowing you...you'll want to save your dear sister, right? If that's true, then you'll need to let Maleficent take your heart."

Kiera took a step back. "Take my heart? You mean become a Heartless?"

"Something like that," The woman nodded, joy just lacing her voice. "You are a half to a whole, meaning that your sister it the other half. Maleficent cannot obtain what she wants without having you both. There are seven Princesses of Heart, but somehow one of them was split in two. Surely your sister is the more...pure of the two, but half a heart is useless for what the witch and _he_ have planned."

"He? You mean there's someone else at work here?"

"Oops," The tone of the voice behind the hood told Kiera that it wasn't an accident at all.

"Who are you? Why are you telling me all this? What role are you playing?"

"I just came on behalf of Xebliya. Trust me, I'd rather be with my boyfriend, listening to his music instead of being here with you," The woman replied. "But I owed Xebliya a favor and so here it is. I'm letting you out of your cell. What you do afterwards, leave or stay, fight or run. Save your sister or not, that's all up to you. I'm sure you'll make the right choice."

The woman waved her hand after backing up from the cell and a loud click was heard, swinging the door open. Kiera blinked and went to comment but the other woman was already gone.

~This journey just keeps getting weirder.~

She stood there in silence for a minute, contemplating what she should do. She was here, she was back home after so long, but until she beat Maleficent she couldn't take it back. She knew that she couldn't take Maleficent on by herself; she needed someone. She trusted Geoffrey and Alana, but she doubted they were strong enough, either. She...she wanted Leon and Lucia. She wanted Bailey.

And everything with Kairi...she just couldn't ignore that. Her sister was here, or at least her body was. All she remembered of her sister was picking flowers outside of the castle grounds and tricking her into leaving to play ball with some of the olders kids. Grandma would always get onto Kiera for leading her sister around like that but Kairi was always sweet and said that it had been her idea to save her from getting in trouble.

Had Kairi changed at all, or was she still the same? Ten years was a really long time. Kiera had refused to ask Sora anything about her, just in case his Kairi and her Kairi turned out not to be the same. She didn't want to get mentally attached to her in case they weren't but now...now there really was no question, was there?

She had found her sister. Now it was time to save her. But in order to do that...

 _ **~I stitched you up**_

 _ **Put you together**_

 _ **With cotton and Feather~**_

" **This place is so dull now.** What's wrong, witch? Never had a place to decorate larger than that cave you call a home?"

The conversation that Riku was holding with Maleficent was interrupted and he whipped around to see that Kiera had joined them in the throne room, glancing around the area as she passed the six other Princesses. She saw Alice and Jasmine standing there, as if in frozen crystal, as well as two blond women, a brown-haired one, and a black-haired one. Six others. She looked for Kairi's body but couldn't find it; yet.

"How did you get out of your cell?" Riku asked in shock.

"You didn't really think that you could keep me there forever, did you? And in my own palace, too."

"You mean...Hollow Bastion...this is where Kairi's from?"

For some reason, Kiera didn't like the way Riku said her sister's name. "Renaming Radiant Garden to Hollow Bastion was another poor choice, witch. Can you really come up with nothing better? I don't know what's more dull; that or your choice of wardrobe.

"You're tongue is just as sharp as her's was." Maleficent grumbled. "It's a shame you didn't know her better; you could have proved to be more useful than her in the end."

Kiera glared at the Witch; she knew exactly who she was talking about.

Maleficent toned out whatever it was that Kiera said next as she relived the first time that she had met the older Keyblade wielder.

" _It's a castle," Bailey commented a few moments later, staring up at the large building before them._

" _And a woman." Terra's voice brought Bailey's attention from the castle to the tall woman before them. She was staring up at the castle as well, clothed head to foot in black. Terra moved forward, Bailey moving after him with a frown._

" _What's this…" The woman turned to face them at the sound of their footsteps. "Why aren't you two asleep? That fool Flora cast a spell to put everyone in this castle into a deep, deep slumber."_

 _Fair, with a greenish tint to her skin, the woman had shining yellow eyes heavily shadowed with violet and lips painted red. Her head topped with a black-horned headdress, she wore a long, tattered black robe with a purple trim and maroon flared edges. There were spikes along her collar ass she carried a staff with a glowing green orb on top and there was a golden ring on her left hand with a black stone._

" _Who are you?" Terra asked her._

" _Why," She raised a hand to her chest with a smile. "I am Maleficent…as all who dwell in this kingdom would know. Now the two of you must reciprocate the introduction. Who are you?"_

" _Does it really matter who we are?" Bailey replied. "Who is Flora and why did she put everyone to sleep?"_

" _Why, my dear, it is only polite to name yourself after asking for the name of the other," Maleficent told her, ignoring her other question._

" _I'm Terra," The man began. "And this is Bailey. What do you know about those monsters- the ones that attacked us?"_

" _Hmph," The woman turned and moved towards the edge of the walkway, looking over the kingdom below them. "Now why would I give a thought to creatures so base…so inconsequential?"_

 _Terra gave a snort. "They are base, that's for sure. Anyway, I'm looking for someone. Ever heard of a man named Xehanort?" Bailey raised a brow, glancing at Terra. Was asking someone they just met really a good idea? And why was he looking for Xehanort? Had something happened to that creepy old guy?_

" _That name is not familiar to me," The woman replied after a moment. "Is he an outsider, like yourselves?" She then paused before turning to them. "Oh, but wait…I do remember someone leaving the castle."_

" _Oh really?" Bailey asked, placing a hand on her hip. "And what, pray tell, was he doing there?"_

" _I couldn't say," Maleficent shook her head. "I can only be certain he was not from this kingdom."_

" _Doesn't mean he's who we're looking for," Bailey told the one beside her. "Let's continue on."_

" _If you're curious, go see the castle for yourself," The woman told them. "There- the entrance is past the bridge."_

" _Thanks," Terra moved past them but Maleficent's next words caught him. "Perhaps he did speak, about imprisoning 'the light'…" Bailey turned her eyes sharply back to the other woman as Terra turned to look at her. "'The light' could be so many things. Could he have meant Princess Aurora?"_

 _Bailey watched as Terra took off again but she stayed behind with the other woman. "Just what are you playing at?"_

" _Why, nothing at all, my dear," Maleficent gave a grin. "Not yet."_

" _So you are planning something, it's just not time for your little scheme to take part," She paused for a moment. "If that Flora sent everyone to sleep, then why aren't you asleep as well?"_

 _The dark woman gave a huge laugh. "My dear, that fool's petty little powers couldn't dream to touch me!"_

" _Conceited, much?" Bailey asked her._

 _Maleficent gave a smile and walked towards her. "I can feel it, child. Feel it inside you," She reached forward and placed a hand in the center of Bailey's chest. "I started out just the same. We are a lot alike, you and I."_

" _Oh, I doubt that," Bailey hissed, stepping back from the other woman._

" _Say what you want," Maleficent smiled down at her. "But you will come to realize that I speak the truth. The feeling of hate for a betrayal…the want for revenge. You already feel it; trying to subdue it will only make the journey that much more painful. When you come to realize that I am right, and are tired of running, you'll know where to find me. After all," She began to disappear in green flames. "Darkness is connected."_

 _Bailey glared at where the woman stood. She didn't like her at all, but her words…_

 _~Knock it off,~ She shook her head. ~Set your mind on the mission~ Giving another look at where Maleficent once stood, she turned back to the castle behind her and took off._

 _Maleficent words had been true. Whoever Flora was, she had cast a spell and sent the entire kingdom to sleep. But why? What had happened here and why were they all…_

" _This must be the castle of one of the Princesses of Heart!" She told herself, moving up the stairs as fast as she could. "Which also means that the Princess is in danger from the Unversed. If everyone is asleep and these creatures are moving around…"_

 _When she reached the top of the stairs, her attention was instantly grabbed by the door that was open. She saw Terra standing over a woman in a bed, his Keyblade in his hands._

" _Terra, wait!" Bailey burst into the room, but it was too late. He had already used his Keyblade upon Princess Aurora, giving it to Maleficent._

" _To think that all he spoke of was and will be true," Maleficent was fawning over the glowing, green light in her hand._

" _What did I do?" Terra glared at her. "What did YOU do?"_

" _You speak as if I pulled some invisible strings." Maleficent told him. "No, you couldn't be further from the truth, child. I simply whispered to the darkness you already held inside. What both of you already hold inside."_

" _Not this shit again," Bailey shook her head. "I thought I had finally gotten away from all that but it keeps following me, doesn't it?"_

" _You want to know where Xehanort went, correct?" The woman moved towards them. "Well, that I cannot answer. He disappeared into the darkness. But now I know the Keyblade is necessary to gather hearts. Join me. Collect seven more hearts of pure light. Then we will rule all the worlds together."_

" _No thanks, witch," Bailey growled, whipping out her own Keyblade. "I already have enough problems on my plate without you adding to it!"_

 _Terra mimicked her moves. "I'm a peacekeeper, not a tyrant."_

 _The castle gave a shake and stomping could be heard from the floors beneath them. For something to be heard all the way up here, it had to be pretty big._

" _Hmm," Maleficent rubbed her chin. "For a peacekeeper, you're off to an exceptionally poor start. At least she doesn't hide behind lies," She took a breath as the other woman glared at her. "Remember this- the darkness in your heart cannot be held back by force or strength. Now….my work here is done, as is yours. Wasn't there someone you needed to chase?"_

 _Maleficent gave a laugh and disappeared in those green flames of her's again._

"Honestly, I expected you to get free," Maleficent decided to speak. "With Bailey being your idol and all. I would have been disappointed if you hadn't."

Kiera set her gaze back on the witch. She remembered seeing her ten years ago, searching the halls of this very castle, searching for Bailey as the Heartless destroyed everything and everyone. She had been afraid, yes, but now she just felt anger towards the witch.

"I know that you need both my sister and I for...whatever it is you're planning. Just tell me one thing. Why Bailey?"

Maleficent smiled. "Why her? Is that really all you want to know?"

"No, but as of right now it's all that matters. I can beat the other answers from you later."

Maleficent gave a laugh. "You truly do have her personality, child. If you only had her physical strength as well." She closed her eyes for a moment. "She reminded me of my younger self. A time before I had discovered the darkness inside. I led myself through it alone. Had she had a teacher to lead her, she could have become more powerful than anyone else. She wouldn't have faltered at the hands of Xehanort."

Kiera frowned. "By the time you came to Radiant Garden looking for her, her battle with Xehanort had already been finished."

'True, but there was something that I knew she would return for."

"And that is?"

"You."

Kiera blinked. "Me?"

"That's right. You didn't really think that Bailey would leave you alone, did you? Has she not sent people to keep an eye on you? That means that she's still out there; I just need to lure her out, now."

Kiera frowned. Maleficent's words...the witch knew the entire time.

" _I..." The woman's voice was soft, her embrace warm, but Kiera felt her heart break when she was pushed away, held back at arms' length. "My name isn't Bailey."_

" _Then how did you have her book? She was writing that for me and my sister!"_

" _Bailey is...lost in darkness. She fights in earnest but it is futile. I was merely...completing a wish her head made by giving you the book. Her heart tries to be strong but she continues to waver. I fear...the worst, should she not..."_

" _She's fighting? What is she fighting?" Kiera demanded. "Does this have something to do with the Heartless? Tell me! I can help her!"_

" _There is nothing that you can do; this is a fight she must win for herself. If you believe in her...trust her."_

 _Kiera nodded. She didn't understand. Everything was so confusing. She thought this woman was Bailey, she even knew her song, but perhaps it wasn't. Nothing was making sense any more. "I believe in Bailey; she can do anything!"_

 _There was a laugh from under the hood. "As a KeyBlade wielder, you are already involved in the darkness but as a princes...your role is much more significant than just that. You are a half to a whole, Kiera. Whatever you do, don't fail." The hands on her arms tightened; making Kiera wince. "Don't travel to Hollow Bastion; don't return to Radiant Garden."_

" _Don't...return?" She repeated. "But how...how do I save them if I don't return? How can I save my world if I do go back?!"_

" _All good things to those who wait," Was her answer. Xebliya let go of her and began to back away. Behind her a dark portal opened, waiting for her to step inside it. "Be a good princess and return to Traverse Town; there you will be safe."_

"When you find her, I hope she destroys you." Kiera growled. She then crossed her arms and turned her head. "If you're just going to take my heart then go ahead and get it over with. Just know that when the others catch up to you you'll be defeated. It's just a shame that I won't be there to watch it."

Riku stared at Kiera as Maleficent laughed behind them. "Kiera, what are you doing?"

"What's wrong, kid?" Kiera snapped. "Is this not what you wanted?"

"Kid?" Riku stared at her before shaking his head and getting back to the point. "You'd willingly let her-"

"I came on this mission to reclaim my world and to save my sister. This is the only way to do both and so, I'll do so without restraint," She glanced at Maleficent as the woman seemed lost in her own thoughts again. "Next time, don't team up with a psycho, would you pal? Save us some trouble and just join us willingly."

Riku blinked. "What..."

"You'll understand eventually, Riku," Kiera gave a sigh and turned to Maleficent again. "Alright, witch, do your worst! Just remember what I told you, though. Alana and Geoffrey are going to wreck your shit!"

 **PLEASE REVIEW :)**


	17. Chapter 16

**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(**

 **Lucia, Kieran, Rayna, Claire, Renee, Zeke, Sienna, Jeanne, Melanie, and Charel are my OC characters from my Final Fantasy stories!**

 _ **Chapter Sixteen**_

 _ **Face Your Fear**_

" **When I find that short bastard I'm going to beat him within an inch of his life!"**

"Calm down, Alana. I'm sure Kiera's fine."

"That's not the point, Sora. The point is that he kidnapped her and took her from me! I'll never forgive him for that! Ever!"

Sora gave a sigh as Alana continued to curse Riku out as they exited the Gummi Ships. She had been roaring about his friend since Hook's ship. He couldn't blame her but he was surprised that Geoffrey wasn't raging like she was. He was as cool and calm as ever; at least until they stepped out onto the floating rocks that were surrounded by the huge waterfall.

"We're here," His voice was breathless. "We're home."

"Home?" Sora glanced at the area. The castle, to town they must have been looking for must be beyond this...small, strange area. "This is where you're all from?"

"Originally," Geoffrey replied. "Radiant Garden is our home but Maleficent has, without a doubt, ruined it with all her Heartless. It'll take years to return it to it's normal state."

"I don't care how long it takes," Alana replied. "I'll work for as long as I have to! Leon and the others all will, too!"

"So will I!" Sora grinned and then locked an arm around Donald and Goofy's necks. "We all will!"

"We sure will!" Goofy laughed.

Donald frowned. "Speak for yourself!"

Sora couldn't help but smile. Alana's attitude was always changing. One minute she was furious, the next she was all smiles and jokes. He liked that about her. He liked a lot about Alana, actually, and he found himself liking more and more every day.

A roar broke up anything left of the conversation that the group was having and Geoffrey was the first to arrive at the scene of Riku standing there on a large rock before what appeared to be a monster. Towering over seven feet and covered in brown fur with fangs and claws, the creature wore a purple cape as he glared at the young teen before him.

It's like the group wasn't even noticed yet.

"No vessel, no help from the Heartless…" Riku began. "So, tell me, how'd you get here?"

"I simply believed. Nothing more to it. When our world fell into Darkness, Belle was taken from me. I vowed I would find her again, no matter what the cost. I believed that I would find her, so, here I am. She must be here. I will have her back!" Beast yelled.

"Take her, if you can." Riku told him, and they began to fight again. Riku defeated the Beast, and he fell to the ground as The others all climbed up to where they were at.

"No!" Sora's voice made Riku stop, leaving the Beast merely wounded.

"So, you finally made it. About time. I've been waiting for you. We've always been rivals, haven't we? You've always pushed me, as I've always pushed you."

"Riku…" Sora said.

"I don't give a fuck about your past, shit-stain." Alana growled. "I want you to give Kiera back to me right now!

"Listen to the lady, kid," Geoffrey commented. "Before you piss both of us off."

Riku gave a silent sigh. "Kiera made a choice to help me save her sister. To take her now before that can be accomplished would be inhumane. Surely you understand this."

"What I understand is that I'm about to plow you so hard that Geoffrey here is going to be jealous," Alana growled. "Now...give...her...back!"

Geoffrey looked at his friend. "Why me?"

"This all ends here," Riku commented, growing bored with the conversation.

"What are you talking about?" Sora demanded.

"Let the KeyBlade choose…Its true Master!" Riku held out his hand, and Sora's KeyBlade flew into his hands.

"What?!"

"Maleficent was right. You don't have what it takes to save Kairi. It's up to me now. Only the KeyBlade Master can open the Secret door…and change the world."

"But that's impossible," Sora said. "How did this happen? I'm the one that fought my way here with the KeyBlade!"

"You were just the delivery boy. Sorry. Your part's over now. Here," He threw the wooden sword from the Island to him. "Go play hero with this," He then turned and began to walk towards the castle.

"Hey!" Alana went to run after him but Geoffrey tossed and arm out to hold her back. She gave him a look before sighing and lowering her weapon.

"Goofy," Donald said. "Let's go. We have to remember our Mission."

"Oh! Well, I know the King told us to follow the Key and all…But…" He looked back at Sora. He then began to follow Donald, both feeling awful.

"Sora, sorry." Donald called back.

"Damn, that just puts a big damper on the mood." Alana sighed and then squatted down beside the younger teen. "You going to be okay?"

"I...I don't understand," Sora whispered. "I'm the one that did all of the work. I'm the one that came here with the Keyblade. Why?"

"No one knows the answer until it hits them in the face, unfortunately," She answered him. "So, we just gotta go find it until it does just that. I'll hide behind you so you're the one that gets a busted nose and not me though, okay?"

Sora laughed and looked up at her. "Are you not going to go after Riku?"

"Eh, er'll find the brat in the castle, I'm sure; especially if we're with you. Besides, unlike a certain duck and dog, I like you too much to just run off and leave you alone. Both of us do, whether or not Geoffrey wants to admit it. We're friends after all, right?"

Sora nodded and stood up. "Right; friends. All four of us are. We need to save Kairi and Kiera; and Riku."

Alana smiled and tousled his hair. "See? You can act like an adult."

"Whoa there, big guy," At Geoffrey's voice, the duo turned their attention back to the other two standing there with them. The Beast had tried to move towards the castle but had fallen from his wounds with Riku; Geoffrey had caught him.

Sora hurried over. "Hey, don't move! You're hurt."

"Why…Why did you…come here? I came to fight for Belle," He stood again. "And though I am on my own, I will fight. I won't leave without her. That's why I'm here."

Sora picked up the wooden sword, and moved up next to him. "Me too. I'm not going to give up now. I came here to find someone very important to me."

"Leave most of the fighting to me and Alana," Geoffrey told Sora. "You no longer have the Keyblade so you won't be able to defeat the Heartless."

"Just cry my name and I'll save you, kid."

Sora gave a grin at the duo. "All right then; let's go save everyone!"

"What...what did she do!?"

Geoffrey's cry made Alana and Sora both jump. The young man was standing there, staring up at the castle before them, disbelief on his face.

"She ruined the palace!"

Alana gave a sigh. "We knew that was going to happen, Geo. You're honestly that surprised?"

"I take it that this is where you guys are from?" Sora commented.

"That's right," Alana answered. "This used to be know as Radiant Garden before Maleficent took over. We'll just have to fix it back up after we beat her. I'm sure that Leon and the others will all be happy about returning home that they'll overlook it and start rebuilding it right away."

"Kieran's going to blow a fuse." Geoffrey replied.

"More thank likely."

Sora was thankful to have Geoffrey and Alana with him. Though it had been ten years since they were last here, they still knew the underground passages and the secret way to get into the castle. Sora was entertained by Alana telling him stories about the things they would do when they were children and how they were practically kidnap Kiera and Kairi from their room in the castle to get the to come and play in the middle of the night; until Bailey beat them for it, at least. Geoffrey, Alana, and Kiera reminded him so much of himself, Riku, and Kairi that it almost hurt; almost. When he saved Kairi...when he saved everyone, he wanted nothing more that for the six of them to continue this friendship; together. Parting ways with them now...

"It was right here that I met him."

At Alan's voice, Sora turned to see her staring off down one of the waterways as Geoffrey spoke with Beast. A frown tugged at his lips. "Him?"

"The one that took Selia away from me."

" _Selia, wait!" The young woman turned to see that Ventus had hurried after her._

 _She gave a smile. "You sure you don't want to stay there with your friend?"_

" _I…I want to find Terra again." He told her truthfully._

" _Then let's go find him." She began to lead the way but the sound of a certain little girl clearing her voice made her pause. "Ah, yes, before I forget. Ventus this is Alana, Alana, meet Ventus."_

 _Alana beamed up at Ventus. "Whatever she's said about me is all lies."_

 _Ventus smiled. "Oh, so you're not a darling, little angel? And she tried so hard to tell me that you were."_

 _Alana looked surprised and glanced at Selia. "You didn't say anything bad about me? That's a first."_

" _Alana, I'm hurt." Selia turned from her. "I only speak the truth. If you're a brat when I talk to Bethany or Lucient that's your own fault."_

 _Ventus laughed, watching as the duo snipped back and forth at each other. He could see the love between them without much difficulty. The duo dragged him into the conversation as they moved through the city but the conversation came to a stop when they reached a scene at the courtyard._

" _Ah, Selia, its Ienzo and Eryn!" Alana cried, pointing at the young boy and girl surrounded by the Unversed._

" _You know him?" Ventus asked._

" _Yeah, he's an apprentice to the King!" That was all she said as she ran forward to knocked the Unversed away from the kids. Ventus followed after her. "Alana, get Ienzo out of here!"_

" _Okay!" The young grabbed the silent boy's hand. "Let's go, Ienzo." She grabbed the girl's as well and led the way to the side, leaving Ventus and Selia to take care of the monsters. It didn't take long._

" _So they are here in Radiant Garden," Selia sighed. "And to think I had been hoping that only that armor had been here."_

" _At least the kids are all right," Ventus told her._

" _Yeah, that's good, I su-"_

" _Ienzo, where are you?" Selia froze at the voice. "Answer me!"_

" _Oh no."_

" _Who is it?" Ventus asked, watching as a blond man in a white lab coat moved into view._

" _Even."_

 _At the sound of his name, Even turned to see Ienzo moving forward with Alana and Eryn. "Didn't I warn you not to wander off, child?"_

" _That's just it, Even." Selia began, facing the older man. "He's a child. You can't change him into one of your puppets, despite his inability to talk. He should be able to hang out with other kids."_

" _Scum, you mean," He shot her a look._

 _Noticing the look on Eryn's face, Selia gave a glare. "You may be on the King's good side, but one of these days you're gonna get yours, you asshole, and I hope I'm there to see it!"_

" _Well, until then, dodder off," He told her. He turned to Ventus but gave a yelp as Alana kicked him in the shin._

" _Stop being mean to my sister you big-nosed freak!"_

" _Stinkin' brat!" Even growled at her. He lunged to grab her but she dodged out of the way, hiding behind Ienzo and Eryn. "You won't be able to hide forever!"_

" _Shut it, big-nose!"_

" _Stop calling me that!"_

 _Ventus watched as the arguing continued for a few moments before giving a sigh and turning to the older man to ask if he had seen Terra._

" _Alana," The young girl turned to her sister. "Why don't you take Eryn and go see Renee? I'm sure that Tifa and Yuffie are there still. It's getting close to dinner time."_

" _Aww, but I want to spend more time with you!" Alana grabbed her head._

 _Selia muffled her hair. "I'll be home again soon, sweetie, don't worry. The journey will be over soon."_

" _Yeah, but how do you know?"_

" _Woman's intuition. You'll have it too; when you're older." She glanced and the young girl with pink hair. "Don't worry, Eryn, you'll have it, too." She pulled the girl into a firm grip. "And just ignore what that man says. Being an orphan doesn't make you scum; you're actions do. You'll prove it to him; one day." Eryn stayed silent but from the firm grip that she placed on her shirt she had accepted her words._

" _Come on, Eryn. Let's go. I'm sure Aunt Renee has some cake or something for us. Maybe even ice cream!"_

 _Ventus watched as the two girls ran off, Even leaving with Ienzo behind them._

"That was the first and last time that I saw Ventus. When I first saw you I thought you were him, but I was wrong. Ventus is still out there with Selia and the others, I'm sure of it."

Sora was silent for a moment. "After we're done here, let's go find them. All of them. Together."

Alana stared at him for a moment before giving a smile and a nod. "It's a promise!"

It felt so weird being home again but they couldn't really call this home just yet; not until Maleficent was kicked out of the palace.

"Ahh, the main hall," Geoffrey glanced around the area inside the large doors. "Still smells the same."

Alana stared at him. "Are you're supposed to be the smart one?"

"Be on your guard. They're close. I can feel it. Are you ready for them?" Beast warned Sora, who now began to walk forward. Beast turned and saw Belle in a Hallway, and then watched as she turned into a Heartless. His anger getting the better of him, he jumped at it, knocking both Geoffrey and Alana out with him, and the doors slammed shut, blocking them from returning to Sora for the moment.

"No!" Alana ran towards the doors again and tried to open them but found that that was not going to happen. "Sora!"

"Calm down, Alana," Geoffrey told his companion. "Sora'll be fine."

"But he's still a kid, Geoffrey! He hasn't been fighting as long as we have! He could get hurt or even worse!"

"Listen to me," The older teen grabbed her shoulders. "He's a kid, yes, but this is also the kid that took down Hercules at the Coliseum. He took down Squall, for god's sake and I haven't even done that."

"He beat Squall with luck. If Leonhart hadn't tripped over that dumb duck and fucked up his Gunblade then-"

"He'll be fine, Alana, just like Kiera is; and Kairi."

Alana took a deep breath. Her friend was right. She shouldn't be so worried. Sora was a good kid, a pure kid. He was strong now. He could handle himself.

"So," Geoffrey turned to the third member of their little group. The Beast was brooding there as he stared at the door, waiting for it to open again. "What's the story with you and this Belle that you're looking for?"

...

Sora turned from Donald and Goofy after Riku disappeared when the doors burst open behind them and Geoffrey's form came flying in. He ducked, leaving poor Goofy to catch the older teenager.

"Dumbass," Alana sighed, shaking her head as she and Beast walked into the room again.

"What did you do this time?" Sora demanded, a shocked look on his face.

"What? I just called it as I saw it."

"No, you called a 8 foot creature with unbelievable strength a douche bag. You deserved what you got."

Geoffrey stood up, trying not to laugh as the Beast turned his glare from him back to Sora and the duo that joined them once more.

"So, your heart won this battle?" Beast asked, and Sora nodded.

There was so much to be done in the castle before they could unlock the way to the throne room. Geoffrey kept a cool head but he knew that the others were getting greatly annoyed and so he tried his hardest to solve all the puzzles in the library as fast as possible. He made a mental note to beat the hell out of whoever felt that it was a great idea to turn the damn library into a maze.

Alana, on the other hand, had taken a seat on one of te tables by a lower window with a smile on her face.

~When Kiera and Kairi were younger, their grandmother would make the study in here. Geoffrey, I, and the others would always sneak in through the window to run around the castle with them or sneak them out to play games.~ She took a deep breath. ~Don't worry, guys, everything will return to normal soon; I'll make sure of it.~

"All right, guys, this is it," Geoffrey stood before the door to the throne room. "Maleficent is more than likely behind this door. I don't know what plans she has up her sleeves but we need to be focused and ready for anything."

Sora tightened his hands into fists. "Guys, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for-"

"Oh, this is no time for this sentimental crap," Alana cut the shorter teen off. "Let's shelf that and go in there, kick ass, and save the Princesses, okay? We can all go back to Traverse Town and smile as Leon and the others serve us like royalty."

Geoffrey gave her a look. "Hell would freeze over first."

"Just crush all my dreams, why don't ya?"

Sora laughed at the duo before smiling as he faced the final door. "Let's do this."

It led them into the Castle Chapel and there, in her dark robes and a smile, was Maleficent. Geoffrey felt her heart freeze. His hands shook, but was it more from anger or fear?

"Where's Kiera, you old hag?" Alana demanded.

"The dear Princess is just fine, that;s more than I can say for all of you, though. Any moment now, the final KeyHole will be unsealed. This world will be plunged into darkness."

"I won't let you do this to Keira's world!" Sora yelled at her, and she only laughed.

"It is unstoppable."

"We'll stop it! After coming this far there's no way we're gonna let that happen!"

"You poor, simple fools," Maleficent said angrily. "You think you can defeat me? Me, the mistress of all Evil?"

Maleficent must not have liked teenagers because she had no problem in beating them with magic and whacks from her staff. Wasn't too fond of duck either, considering how often she set Donald on fire. Whenever she would take a beating herself she would flee and Heartless would come forward to help her. Donald, Goofy, and Geoffrey took care of them more than anything, leaving the Witch to Beast, Sora, and Alana. Geoffrey wouldn't say that he was afraid of Maleficent but at the same time he found himself trying his hardest to stay away from her.

He felt like a coward.

Maleficent fled, leaving behind some kind of portal in the fire place.

"Come on, guys," Alana was first through. "We can't let her get away now!"

On the other side they found a wounded Maleficent standing behind Riku but there was something different about him now; and it wasn't just the clothes or the new weapon that he held in his hand now.

"Is that-"

"Yes," Riku smirked. "A KeyBlade. But unlike yours and Keira's, this KeyBlade holds the power to unlock people's hearts. Allow me to demonstrate." He turned around, and shoved it into Maleficent's chest, and she gasped in surprise. "Behold!"

"Wha?"

"Now, open our heart, surrender it to the darkness. Become darkness itself!" He then pulled back, and disappeared through another dark portal as Maleficent began to glow yellow.

"This is it! This power! Darkness, the true darkness!" As the light made them all clinch their eyes shut, Maleficent turned into a large, black dragon, making Sora gasp, and Donald squawk in fear.

"Holy-"

"-Shit."

"Don't stand there and do nothing," Beast growled. "Get her!"

Everyone ran forward; everyone but Geoffrey. He stared at the creature that the witch had turned into and his knees shook. Whatever fear he held for Maleficent over the years was now tripled, or even more. He had taken on heartless bigger than this, yes, but the sight of her, the knowledge of this actually being Maleficent, it seemed to frighten him more than anything. All he could remember was the witch he had seen killing and striking down people in this very castle so many years ago. All he could see was his death.

"Is this really the outcome? Fear of a simple witch?"

The voice was deep but it also held an air of teasing to it. Whipping around, Geoffrey felt his eyes narrow. It was another form in a black leather jacket, the hood pulled far down his face. His voice was deeper than the two men that he had met before, his voice deeper too, so it was someone new.

"More of you? Just how many of you are there?"

"All good things to those who wait." The voice teased.

Geoffrey felt his eyes widen. Bailey said that all the time when they were children. "Why are you here? Are you on their side?"

"I merely came to check on someone important to me. I'm rather disappointed. For him to be afraid of a dragon...I feel as if my teachings were for not."

"Your teachings..." Geoffrey took a step towards him, heart pounding in his ears. "Is it really you? Are you really-"

"Aaarrrgggghhhh!" Alana's growl caught Geoffrey's attention and he turned to see the younger teen running to attack Maleficent, who had cornered Donald, before being hit by the dragon's tail and was knocked aside.

"Alana!"

"Now is not the time to be scared, boy," The cloaked man moved forward, a lance appearing in his hands out of thin air. "After all, true heroes face danger even when afraid, don't they?"

Geoffrey wanted to cry. This man...there was only one person he knew that talked like that but their Reunion could wait for later. Spinning his own lance in his hands, Geoffrey ran forward to join the fray, the cloaked man right beside him.

Maleficent watched them come but her eyes were trained on the new man in black. She gave a roar of anger and tried to swipe at him but he was too fast, jumping over and dealing a blow to her face. Geoffrey tried not to pay attention to him but there was just no way that he could concentrate on the battle before him as the man beside him was fighting like that. His movements, his attacks, they were all just like his...just like Kieran's. He and Kieran had learned from the same man and though Kieran had taken over his training after the events at Radiant Garden ten years ago, there was no denying that this was the same technique that both of them now used.  
This man, it had to be...

"Sora, protect Alana," Geoffrey called out to the younger teen. "Beast, you, Donald and Goofy do something about that damn tail!"

"Got it!" Goofy and Sora called out together, leaving Geoffrey and the cloaked man to stare up at Maleficent.

"She may look tough but she's not so hard to beat, especially if you have faith," The man commented. "Take the word of someone who's beaten her before."

Geoffrey wanted to stare at the man but he didn't have time. He needed to finish this as quickly as possible. Twirling his lance in his hand again he moved forward, ready to strike the final blow.

Alana watched in awe from her place by the wall. Sora was casting a spell on her to heal her but her eyes were drawn to the relentless battle between the dragon and the lance wielders; it was like she had completely forgotten about the trio attacking her haunches. Their tactics, their moves were similar, nearly mirrors of eachother. There were only a few she had ever seen fight like that.

"It can't be."

Sora raised a brow. "Alana? What is it?"

Alana opened her mouth to reply but Maleficent gave out a roar of defeat before she could, leaving the dragon to fade away into nothing but Maleficent's robes again. Geoffrey came running to Alana to check on her, breathing hard as he wiped sweat from his face.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, Sora healed me," Alana stood again. "Geoffrey, was that-"

Geoffrey turned back to the rest of the room, his eye searching for the cloaked man but all he found was Riku, standing there in his new armor as he stared at what remained of the witch. The cloaked man was gone. At first, Geoffrey thought him to be part of his imagination but Alana had obviously seen him as well. He really had to have been there, hadn't he?

"How Ironic. She was just another puppet after all." Riku commented with a sigh.

"What?" Donald demanded from where he stood with Beast and Goofy.

"The Heartless were using Maleficent from the beginning. She failed to notice the darkness eating away at her," He rubbed his foot in her remains evilly. "A fitting end for such a fool." And he then walked backwards into a another portal, and disappeared, leaving the ones behind him, enraged.

"Sora," Alana began. "You've got a shit friend."

Sora gave a shake of his head. "I don't know what's going on but we've got to go after him; fast!"

 **PLEASE REVIEW :)**


	18. Chapter 17

**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(**

 **Lucia, Kieran, Rayna, Claire, Renee, Zeke, Sienna, Jeanne, Melanie, and Charel are my OC characters from my Final Fantasy stories!**

 **The truth is out there, Lilith, you'll just have to wait to find out, lol**

 _ **Chapter Seventeen**_

 _ **An Old Calling Card**_

" **Kiera!"**

Alana's voice rang the moment they entered the throne room. Lining the path to the throne were seven women, held in crystal as if they were sleeping. Jasmine, Alice, Belle, Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, and Kiera.

"At least she's safe," Geoffrey commented. "For now."

"Belle!" Beast took one look at the woman in the golden dress and hurried to her, searching for a way to release her.

"Geoffrey," Sora began moving up the stairs. "You stay here and find a way to get them out of here. I'll take care of Riku."

"Not alone you won't," Alana growled. "That little prick's gonna have to deal with me, too."

Geoffrey stared at them for a moment before giving a silent sigh. "Fine, but if things start to look bad then I'm butting in."

With a silent nod, Sora led the way up the small flight of stairs where they found Kairi's body laying there. Sora ran right to her, leaving Donald and Alana to watch as Goofy was refused entry from a barrier.

~Oh, this does not bode well at all.~

"Kairi? Kairi! Open your eyes!" Sora begged, holding her in his arms.

"It's no use." Riku's voice made the trio turn to find him sitting on top of...what appeared to be the Keyhole to the world. "That girl has lost her heart. She cannot wake up."

Sora placed her back on the ground gently. "What? You…you're not Riku."

"The Keyhole can not be completed so long as the last Princess of Heart still sleeps." Riku jumped down before them, KeyBlade in hand.

"The Princess?" He looked down at Kairi. "So, she and Kiera really are twins, aren't they?"

"Well, that settles one question," Alana sighed. She had her doubts for a moment, even after seeing Kairi on Hook's ship. Now there was no room for any.

"Yes. And without her power, the KeyHole will remain incomplete. It is time she awakened."

"I don't really like your friend, Sora, but I don't think whoever took control of him is much better," Alana commented. "Looks like we're going to have to beat him to get your friend back."

Sora glanced at her before returning his eyes to his friend's body. "Whoever you are, let Riku go! Give him back his heart!"

"But first, you must give the Princess back her heart." He pointed his KeyBlade at Sora, who clutched at his chest as he fell to his knees. Donald and Alana both cried out his name. "Don't you see? The Princess' heart is responding. It has been there all along. Kairi's heart rests within you!"

"Kairi…Kairi's inside me?" Sora asked, looking at the girl next to him as Riku walked closer to them.

"I know all that there is to know."

"All right, dickbag," Alana growled. "Just who the hell are you?!"

"It is I, Ansem, the seeker of Darkness."

Alana narrowed her eyes. Ansem? Their King? Kairi and Kiera's uncle? No, that couldn't be true...could it?

He walked closer, and knocked Donald out of the barrier when the duck tried to attack. "So, I shall release you now, Princess. Complete the KeyHole with your Power. Open the door. Lead me into everlasting darkness!" He went to hit Sora.

"No way, pal," Alana had blocked the blade with her own. "We've gone all over the place, looking for this kid and there's no way in hell I'm just going to let you take her heart. You'll have to get through me first to get to her and Sora!"

"Alana," Sora went to stand but Alana tossed a hand out.

"Let me handle this one. You just be sure to keep out of reach of this blade of his. I didn't travel through all these worlds just to let you lose your heart, Sora."

"You would stand in my way?" Ansem chuckled. "I can see where the princess gets her tenacity from."

"If you're referring to Kiera, then you're right, but it's not just me she learned from. She gets a lot of her personality from her uncle."

"Is that so," Ansem-Riku smirked. "Then I am highly disappointed."

"What I'm disappointed with is that you're using a fake name." Alana watched as he backed up from her, a frown on his face. "Ansem was the name of the King of Radiant Garden ten yeas ago before Maleficent brought the heartless here. You're not the king so tell me who you really are and why you're using his name. Are you Even? Clauss? Or, god forbid, is that you, Braig?" She remembered the young man that ran around Radiant Garden, causing trouble when she was a kid. Several times she had nearly gotten involved with his schemes and hurt. Bailey and the others had thrown such a fit. She couldn't tell how many times Bailey had beaten the hell out of that man and his girlfriend, Andrea, wasn't far behind him.

"It seems you're not as foolish as I thought you were," Ansem-Riku grinned. "But I won't have you getting in my way!"

His Keyblade smashed down onto her blade again, the blow sending her skidding backwards, her arms shaking from the force of it. Arms still shaking, she blocked another blow and another before Ansem-Riku planted a foot in her face. She felt the bone in her nose crack and felt the pain as blood began to pour down her face.

"Alana!" Sora went to run to her but he was blocked by white; a lot of it.

"Still picking on kids, huh, old man?"

Giving a groan, Alana grabbed her nose, yanking it back into place and tried to ignore the tears that were falling from her eyes as she faced the newcomer to this little fight. It was another cloaked form, like the one that had helped Geoffrey with Maleficent, the only difference being the body shape and height and the jacket. This one was head to foot in white, fur of light blue outlining the hood, the wrists, and the bottom. Three chains were drapped across the front of it, held together by locks made by matching blue crystals, shaped into hearts.

Ansem-Riku glared at the cloaked form. "You."

"Me," The female voice teased. "Thought you could outsmart me, huh? Bad luck, chum."

"Why? Why do you insist on getting in my way?"

"Because I want them back. I want _**HIM**_ back; all of them."

Ansem-Riku gave a roar and rushed at the white form just to be blocked by Alana once more.

"Not so fast, asshole." She growled, ignore the blood pouring from her face; she'd deal with that later. "You're fighting me, remember?"

"Oh please. Who do you think he'd rather have?" The woman in white asked. "An appetizer or the main course?" Alana shot a look at the other fighter. "Then again, who says we can't follow the route of many places and serve him both at the same time?"

Alana blinked at the offer before giving a grin. "I like that idea."

"Yes, but first," The woman waved a hand over Alana's face and she felt a warmth cover her face. The bleeding stopped and so did the pain. Her nose was no longer broken. "You can thank me later."

Giving a fierce grin, Alana faced Ansem-Riku again, the new woman beside her, both bearing their blades again.

"Let me help!" Sora tried to tell them but both women shook their heads.

"Stay back and protect the princess like a good little boy. Leave this bastard to us."

"But...Riku..."

"Don't worry, we'll save your friend, Sora," Alana assured him. "And then I'll beat the hell out of him again for putting us through all of this crap."

Sora stared at the duo, feeling lost. He should be the one out there fighting Riku, not them. This all had something to do with him. This was his fight, not theirs; not Alana's. He wouldn't have gotten this far without any of them, especially not without her, so he felt...terrible that she was the one that was out there fighting this battle and not him. If she got hurt, like beyond any chance of healing her, or god forbid died, Sora would never be able to forgive himself. Right now he wanted to protect her more than he...

Was that true? Was that actually what he really thought? Did he want to protect Alana more than Kairi now? How could that be possible? He and Kairi had been friends for over ten years. He...he had been inlove with Kairi, so why? Why was he feeling like this now? How was it even possible? How could he feel that Alana was more important than Kairi when he had only known her for a few months?

Sora knew that this wasn't the time to be thinking about this, that he shouldn't be thinking like this in the first place, but as he watched the fight between the three of them continue, he found his eyes glued to Alana more than ever now. He prayed that she didn't do anything to get her hurt worse than she already was.

"How? How are you overpowering me?!"

Ansem-Riku was backed into a corner now, the woman in white standing over him, her hood still hiding her face as Alana stood back a few steps, catching her breath. This had been the hardest fight that she had ever taken part in. This guy, whoever it was that had possessed Riku, he was no pushover. Imagining what he could do with Geoffrey's body, or even Leon's or Kieran's or, god forbid, Sephiroth's, made her shiver. They would have been as good as dead.

"You think I'm strong? You should meet my boss!" The Woman in White said happily. "Then again, I doubt you'll be alive long enough to do so, so tell those bastards in hell that _**I**_ sent you."

The Woman in White went to deliver a final strike but Sora ran forward. "Stop! You can't kill him! Riku's still my friend!"

She stared down at the boy that now stood in her way. "A friend that openly accepted Ansem into his body. He allowed someone so dark to take over him. Letting him run free like this will prove most tiring in the future."

"So you have to kill him? I came here to save my friends, not watch as they were punished!"

"I'm with Sora on this one," Alana stepped forward beside the other teen. "I may hate the kid for kidnapping Kiera, but killing him over some jerk possessing him just ain't my style."

There was a sigh and the blade was lowered. "Do as you like."

Alana gave a sigh of relief; until their enemy disappeared. "Aww, what the hell!?"

"Riku, wait!" Sora reached for him but he was gone, leaving behind nothing but that weird Keyblade he held.

The Woman in white gave a chuckle, light and amused. "He really is like you, isn't he, Ven?"

Alana glanced at her again, a confused look on her face. "What was that?"

"Hold on tight," Was her answer in a louder voice. "It's about to get bumpy."

"What are you-"

"Sora! Alana!"

Geoffrey's voice dragged Alana away from the Woman in White. The barrier had fallen, allowing Donald and the others to enter to area again but her eyes were locked onto Sora. He had picked up the Keyblade that Ansem-Riku had dropped, pointing it at his chest. Fear gripped her, panic overtook her.

"Sora, don't!"

The younger teen looked over and gave her a big grin before plunging the Keyblade into his chest. A bright light erupted from Sora's chest and they all watched as the Keyblade dispersed into seven, different glowing orbs and floated off. Another orb floated from Sora's chest and floated to Kairi's limp body. In the Background, as Sora was engulfed in light, the KeyHole was finished, and Kairi sat up immediately. Sora was falling backwards, and Donald was running towards him, screaming.

Alana ran forward to, her fear and panic taking over. "Sora…Sora!"

"Sora!" Kairi screamed, and ran to catch him, but he disappeared before she could.

"Sora!" Donald yelled at the air. "Come back, Sora!"

"Sora!" Alana searched for him but there was no luck. Geoffrey was just staring at where Sora had disappeared, as if his brain was having a trouble contemplating what had just happened.

"Sora, are you really-" Kairi began. "No. He can't be! I won't let him go!"

"So, you have awakened at last, Princess. Your sister shall be very pleased to see you again."

At the voice, everyone turned to find a tall man with dark skin, silver hair, and dressed in black standing there, a look of accomplishment on his face.

Geoffrey glared at the man. "And who are you?"

He was ignored. "The KeyHole is now complete. You have served your purpose. But now it's over." He walked towards them.

"Don't make another move!" Donald ordered as he and Goofy pulled out their weapons.

"Do you think we can stop him all by ourselves?" Goofy whispered.

"I don't know."

"Geoffrey," Alana glared at the man walking towards them now. "Grab Kairi, go grab Keira, and get out of here. Get them back to Leon."

"You can't escape," The man grinned. "You really think I'll let you take the other Keyblade weilder before I can-" He then stopped, as if he was unable to move. "Impossible…"

Riku's form, as if a ghost, stood in the way, holding the large man back. "No…You won't use me for this!"

"Riku!" Kairi called out to him, and he looked at them all.

"You've gotta run! The Heartless are coming!" Riku told them, and Heartless began to show up immediately. Kairi didn't want to, but nodded her head, and ran away with Donald and Goofy, Geoffrey leading the way. Alana stared at Riku for a moment longer before hurrying after them.

The Heartless were everywhere and without a fhance to heal herself, there was no way she could think about fighting them. She fought the ones in her way but her exhaustion was beginning to show and she knew that if she was tired then the others were too. They had wasted no time coming here right after what happened on Hook's ship so not a lot of resting was given to them.

"We can't leave without Kiera," Alana told Geoffrey as she cuaght up to him; they were almost to the entrance of the castle.

"We won't," Geoffrey replied, knocking a wyvern from the air. "When we get Kairi, Donald, and Goofy on the ship they'll leave and we can circle back for Kiera. For right now she's safe in whatever that crystal she's in."

"Maybe it's us we should be worrying about."

Heartless upon Heartless blocked wither exit now, as if waiting on them. Geoffrey placed himself infront of Kairi as Alana stood behind her with Donald and Goofy, neither of their attention being caught on the single heartless that had moved up to the younger girl.

"This time, I'll protect you." She told the Heartless, and then millions of them jumped at them. "Sora!" She turned around, and then hugged the Heartless to her, and they were piled upon.

"Kairi!" Goofy yelled, but then all of the Heartless was thrown off of them by a bright light, and Sora stood there now, holding Kairi.

"Kairi, thank you."

"Sora…"

"Sora!" Both Donald and Goofy yelled.

The young teen felt a pair of hands on his back, shoving him into Kairi and both of them off their feet. Rolling over, his eyes grew wide in horror. Alana had shoved him and Kairi out of the way of a Defender Heartless, taking full damage from it's shield. Her body laid in a crumbled leap on the floor, blood seeping out from where her head had hit the tile.

Before Sora could move again, Geoffrey gave a roar and obliterated the monster. Donald and Goofy both wore looks of rage too, providing cover as the older teen grabbed Alana's body carefully.

"We have to leave," Geoffrey spoke through clenched teeth.

"What about Kiera?" Donald demanded. "We can't just leave her!"

"But...but Alana's-"

Sora wanted to get Alana out of here as fast as possible. But Kiera...

"Go! Now!" There was a roar and they all turned to see Beast tossing Heartless aside left and right.

"Come with us," Sora told him.

"I told you before. I'm not leaving without Belle! And I'll find your friend, too. Now, go! The Heartless are coming even faster!

"All right," Sora agreed. "Let's get out of here. We'll come back later."

Geoffrey hung his head. He should stay and find Kiera but Alana...she was seriously hurt and if Hook was to show up again or any one else that wanted the Keyblade or whatever else, there was no way that Sora could handle it all on his own.

~I'm sorry, Kiera~

 **PLEASE REVIEW :)**


	19. Chapter 18

_**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS!**_

 **Lucia, Kieran, Rayna, Claire, Renee, Zeke, Sienna, Jeanne, Melanie, and Charel are my OC characters from my Final Fantasy Stories!**

 _ **Chapter Eighteen**_

 _ **Heart of a Lion**_

" **What do you mean you left her there?"**

"Leon-"

"You were supposed to protect her. Protect her and keep her safe, keep anything from happening to her and you want to come back and tell me that you left her there? Left her there alone in a world full of heartless, unconscious and in a giant crystal? What were you thinking? Were you even thinking at all?"

"Leon, I told you-"

Geoffrey's explanation was cut short by being rammed against the wall, Leon gripping to the front of his jacket.

"I knew I shouldn't have left her with you. I knew that Lucia and I should have been the ones to go with her. If anything happens to Kiera I will make you suffer for the rest of your life; I will never forgive you."

Leon let go of the younger man and backed away, leaving him to slide down against the side of the wall to the ground. Geoffrey wanted to cry but he held it in. He hadn't cried since Lucient had disappeared when he was a child. He had to be strong; he couldn't break.

He knew that Leon and the others would be furious when he returned with Kiera. Lucia and Rayna had grabbed Alana the moment they saw her wounded form while Kieran took care of Sora and the others, leaving Leon and Geoffrey alone. He was waiting for Leon to hit him; his words seemed to sting more. He had failed the mission that he had been given by his master. He had been told to protect Kiera and instead not only did he let her get kidnapped, she lost her heart. He had failed in keeping her safe, keeping her out of Maleficent's clutches.

"Geoffrey?"

At the voice, the older teen looked up to find Sora standing there before him, a worried, guilty, look on his face. He gave him a sad smile. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry. You're not the only one at fault. If I had been stronger then Kiera-"

"It's not your fault, Sora," He cut him off. "Protecting her was my job and I failed at it."

"It's not just your job, Geoffrey," Sora argued. "I'm the one mostly at fault here. I've just been dragging the three of you down. You've trained for this for years while I just picked up the Keyblade. I'm a fast learner but there's nothing I can do without more experience. If I had waited until you got Kiera out of her crystal before releasing Kairi's heart then things would have different. We would have stood a better chance against the Heartless with another hand there and then Alana…Alana might not have gotten hurt!"

Geoffrey stared at the younger teen for a moment before a small smile spread across his face. "Sora…you might not have as much experience as us, but you're here for a reason. You'll get stronger; Alana got hurt protecting you. Grow strong enough to be the one to protect her next time. We all still have a long way to go."

Sora nodded before glancing off to where Leon had disappeared too. "And Leon didn't mean what he said. He's just worried."

Geoffrey gave a laugh and stood up from the ground. "I know that. He and Lucia have been Kiera's guardians since Radiant Garden was overrun. His words sting, yes, but I can take that. It's when he pulls out his Gunblade that I'll be worried."

Sora gave a laugh as she smiled at him. "Come meet Kairi. I'm sure you'll be able to explain things more then I can."

Geoffrey's smile faltered for a moment. He had all but ignored the girl while taking care of Alana on the Gummiship. Introductions hadn't even been made. After what had happened, the poor thing might be traumatized.

"If you're worried, don't be. Kairi's a lot tougher than you think. Not as tough as Kiera, of course, but she can hold it together."

His smile returned. "All right."

Geoffrey walked alongside Sora as the younger teen continued to talk about returning to Hollow Bastian to retrieve Kiera and close the KeyHole as soon as Alana was able to. With Rayna and Lucia both on her then it would only be a day or two.

Kairi was in the underground passageway; Geoffrey thanked whatever god there was when he didn't see Leon there too. Geoffrey only stared as Sora began to talk. He hadn't paid the new girl any attention but as he stared at her now, there was no denying that this was Kiera's sister. This was the girl that he remembered from years ago. She even scrunched up her nose the same way when she laughed.

"Is your friend going to be okay?" Kairi's attention turning to him made Geoffrey give a smile.

"Alana is strong; Lucia and Rayna will take care of her just fine." He held out a hand to her. "Geoffrey."

"Kairi," She smiled. "I heard you've been helping look for me. Thank y-" She had reached out and grabbed his hand but the moment their skins touched, a major headache exploded in her. Visions and voices rushed through her head. They went by so fast that she couldn't see them all but a few things stood out. There was her and another girl that looked like her picking flowers before a large castle, a young Geoffrey and what appeared to be a younger Alana laughing. There was another group of kids kicking a ball around, and then there was another face. She was tall, with black hair and green eyes, another one of those things Sora called a Keyblade in her hands as knelt before Kairi and the other girl, a smile on her face as she spoke to them. Only one word came to Kairi's mind as she stared at the older woman.

 _Bailey._

Kairi ripped her hand away, taking a few steps back from Geoffrey as she grabbed her head. Sora took a step forward was the older teen watched in confusion.

"Kairi, are you all right?"

She nodded slowly, trying to calm her heart and head. "Yeah, I'm…" She looked past Sora and back at Geoffrey. His green hair stood out, he was definitely the one she just saw laughing in the courtyard with her. His eyes…there was no doubt that she knew them. "We…we know each other, don't we? Before I…disappeared."

Geoffrey looked surprised before a small smirk spread on his lips, turning his head to the side. "It's a long story."

"Tell me; please! All this time, I had no idea where I was from or who I was. No memories of anything…I want to know; everything."

Sora opened his mouth to talk but slowly closed it. As Geoffrey began to talk to Kairi, Sora backed from the passageway, leaving them alone. He had heard to story several times already. He knew that Kairi was in good hands, so he left her there and went to go check up on the others. He found Donald and Goofy sleeping in the small house that Leon had let them use. Said man and Kieran weren't too far away, talking with Rayna and Lucia. He hurried towards them, worry painted on his face.

"Alana, is she…is she okay?"

Lucia smiled at the young boy as his question was practically shouted at them. "She's fine; she's strong. Her head will be sore for a day or two but there's nothing serious. Just exhaustion, mostly. The last fight must have been horrid."

"We went straight from a battle with Hook to a Maleficent and a dragon and then someone after that. I…I can't remember his name," Sora found himself not wanting to reveal that Riku had been under the control of some…

"And how are you holding up?" Rayna asked him kindly. "You must he tired, too."

"I am, but I'm too worried about Kiera to do any type of resting. I…we need to leave to save her before something bad happens."

"Kiera will be fine for now," Kieran told him. "She's strong and with Maleficent gone, a few Heartless won't take her down so easily. You being too exhausted to do anything will just cause problems so go get some sleep; you can use Geoffrey's room for right now; I'm sure he won't mind."

Sora opened his mouth to argue but he closed it again, knowing that the older man was right. There was nothing he could do should he go back to save Kiera exhausted. He would just put himself and the others in danger.

"Fine," Sora gave in. "I see I won't win in this."

"Of course not," Lucia smiled at him. "Now go get some sleep."

As the four of them watched Sora walk towards the apartments, Kieran turned back to Leon. "So, when do you want to leave?"

Leon closed his eyes. "As soon as night falls."

 _ **~Welcome to my house**_

 _ **Baby take control now**_

 _ **We can take it slow now**_

 _ **We don't have to go out~**_

" **Why?** Why did you save me? You could have died!"

Alana hung her head like a child being scolded. It's what it felt like, undeniably. She had been digging through the fridge when Sora entered the apartment she and Geoffrey shared. She had heard of Kiera being left behind and she had been fearing Leon entering and yelling at her. She gave a breath of relief at Sora's form.

She clearly hadn't been expecting him to yell at her.  
"So could you," Alana replied, stepping from foot to foot a few times. She felt…weird. "If you had gotten hurt..." Her words stopped abruptly and she turned her head. "My body moved on its own, okay? I'm alright now, so let's hurry back to Hollow Bastion and get Kiera back before Leon has an aneurism."

Sora wanted to say something more but decided against it; for now at least. "We won't be allowed to leave until tomorrow; Geoffrey will want to get a good night's rest before going back. If we were to rescue her while exhausted then we would do no good. Beast said he'd look after her until we get back and I trust him."

"Ooh, I bet Leon's not happy."

"Not at all."

Alana hung her head for a moment before glancing at the younger teen for a minute. "You're friend. Kairi…is she alright?"

"Yeah, she's fine. Geoffrey is…explaining everything to her right now."

"Not you?"

Sora gave a shrug. "I figured that he could explain things better than me." He looked at her again. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"I'll be fine. Lucia forbade me from leaving the apartment until tomorrow morning. I know she has an eye on this place and I'm not going to chance her seeing me leave. I just got healed, after all."

Sora nodded in understanding. "Kieran told me to use Geoffrey's bed for now so I guess that's the best course of action right now. I…hope you don't mind me sharing this place with you."

Alana stared at him for a moment before laughter flooded from her mouth. Sora couldn't help but smile; her laughter sounded like bells to his ears. "We've practically spent the last five months on a gummi ship together, Sora. You've seen more of my skin than even Geoffrey considering what happened when we were with Ariel."

Sora's face went red, remembering just what they had been forced to wear under the sea. Her other words made him frown though. "Just…just how much of you has Geoffrey seen?"

She gave him a surprised look before it turned into a sly, teasing one. "Why? Jealous?" Sora waved his hands, his face getting hotter and hotter; it only made her laugh more. "Don't worry, Sora. You've seen more than anyone else has. You should be happy about that." Sora didn't know what to say but thankfully she turned to head back into the room at the end of the hall. "Get some rest, Sora. WE have to go save Kiera now."

Sora nodded firmly. "Right."

 _ **~Welcome to my house**_

 _ **Baby take control now**_

 _ **We can take it slow now**_

 _ **We don't have to go out~**_

" **There's so many of them!"**

"Good. I've been itching for a good fight!"

"Be serious, Kieran."

"I'm always serious!"

Lucia gave a sigh as Rayna and her brother argued, like usual, and glanced at Leon. The four of them had taken the Gummiship that Cid had given to Geoffrey and had come to Hollow Bastion on their own. Cid planned on bringing the others in a few hours, leaving just the four of them to arrive first and begin their search for Kiera. They had been at it for almost an hour and had just made it inside the castle again. There were so many Heartless around here it was ridiculous!

"Where do you think she's at?"

"We don't know if she's been released from the Crystal she was put in yet so we should head to the throne room where they said the Princess' were being kept." Leon answered. "If they're not there, then we'll search everywhere until we find them. If the others catch up to us before we can find them, well, then we'll be able to cover more ground that way."

"Sounds like a plan to me!"

Lucia sighed and watched as Kieran ran into the Heartless, wielding his lance like a pro and knocking the enemy left and right. Rayna followed him, her laugh mimicking her brother's. Shaking her head, she knocked a few aside as Leon moved behind her, doing the same. Little conversation, outside of idle chatter, took place between the four of them. Lucia couldn't deny that it felt good to be out of Traverse Town; it felt good to be back home. Though the castle had been changed from the last ten years, so much of it was still similar.

As they moved through the castle, they found most of the Princesses of Heart in the High Tower where they saw the aftermath of the battle with Maleficent. Cinderella informed them that they were trying to search for a way to close the Keyhole and that they hadn't seen Kiera; her crystal had been empty the moment that they woke up. Leon was getting extremely worried now but he had to keep a cool head, or else everything could fall into turmoil.

Their fear was soon diminished, though, when they arrived at the throne room like they had initially planned. There, standing on her own, was Kiera. She was tossing aside a few more heartless as she made her way towards what they assumed to be the Keyhole.

"Kiera!"

At her name, the young teen turned from the fallen Heartless at her feet. A grin spread across her face.

"Lucia! Rayna!"

Lucia moved towards Kiera as Rayna turned to the door again to inform Leon and Kieran that she had been found. She didn't even let the child speak again before enwrapping her in her arms and squeezing her to death.

"We were so worried!"

"What about the others?" Kiera demanded, hugging the older woman back. "Are they safe, too?"

"Alana was gravely wounded but she's fine now. They're all at Traverse Town; with Kairi."

Kiera gave a breath of relief. "That's good. I couldn't find them anywhere so I was worried. I'm glad they're safe."

"They left you here alone to fend for yourself and you're happy?" Kieran dropped a hand on her head as he tussled her hair. "You're weird, kid."

"I would have told them to go anyway," Kiera told him, exchanging a hug with Rayna, too. "They've been through a lot without a break. I have no doubt they charged straight here after I was taken so give them a break. I'm fine so nothing bad happened. We should…" She froze for a moment, staring at Leon. "What did you do?"

Leon turned his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do. You always overreact when it comes to me. I know you wouldn't keep your mouth shut when they returned without me. That's why you're here right now instead of them, right? What did you say to Geoffrey?"

"She's got you there, Leonhart," Kieran laughed at his friend. "You can't talk your way out of this one."

Leon turned his head away from her again, his shoulders slumped. "I...might have overreacted."

Kiera gave him a look before a hopeless smile was placed there. "I'm thankful that you're so worried about me but everything turned out all right in the end. Apologize to Geoffrey when we return, please? For me?"

Leon tried to ignore all the laughter coming from the others around them before glancing up at the heart shaped symbol before them. "Is that supposed to be a doorway?"

"I believe so," Kiera turned to look at it herself. "I was considering going inside it but I didn't think it was a good idea on my own. The other Keyholes weren't inside anything like this so I'm not even sure if that's where the Keyhole really is. I could be a trap for all we know."

"Leave this to me," Kieran pranced up proudly to the strange portal, leaving the others behind.

"Three…two…one…" Rayna counted down. A sudden shriek erupted after she fell silent again before she gave a sigh and hurried into the portal after her brother. Leon shook his head in disbelief and Lucia laughed as the three of them followed.

Kieran had come face to face to a Behemoth; a huge beast Heartless whose only weakness was the horn on its head. Kiera had no doubt in her mind that even with Geoffrey and Alana here they would have held a difficult battle but with the four warriors she did have with them now…it was almost like a walk in the park. She couldn't get past how strong they were; it made her feel so insignificant. Leon always told her that she shouldn't, though. They had over ten years of more experience than she had; that even Geoffrey and Alana had. He always liked to assure her that she's catch up to them; eventually, anyway.

"What do we do now?" Rayna asked as the Heartless faded away. She was supporting a hurt left arm but other than that, no one seemed to be injured.

"First things first, take care of the Keyhole," Kieran told the young teen that stood beside him. "The others will be arriving soon, I'm sure."

"The others?" Keira raised a brow.

"Cid and them," Lucia answered her.

"But why would they want to come here?"

"Well, you're a cause, but it's also because this was where we all grew up. Of course they'll want to see it now that the heartless are being forced from it."

"It's in worse shape than I feared," Leon commented. "A lot worse. It used to be so peaceful."

"Don't worry." Rayna told them. "If Ansem is defeated, all should be restored. Including Sora's island."

"And with that comes goodbye," Kiera hung her head and closed her eyes.

Leon mimicked her. "That's right."

Kiera knew that when they sealed Kingdom Hearts that things would go back to the way they were before, that their journey would end, but she didn't…she didn't want to say goodbye. She liked Sora and Donald and Goofy and all the others that they had met over the course of their journey. She enjoyed the time they spent together fighting and laughing and taking care of each other. She didn't want to be stuck in a single town anymore, she wanted to keep exploring, but she also knew that she couldn't do that. If they were going to return Hollow Bastian into Radiant Garden once more then she was going to have to do everything that she could to help her people return to the home that was taken from them ten years ago. That was her duty as Princess.

Leon put a hand on Keira's shoulder reassuringly. "We all may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other."

"No matter where we are, our hearts will bring us together again." Rayne then frowned. "God, I sounded like Aerith."

"Don't get all sad on us," Kieran told her. "Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and something will happen to keep everyone in contact with each other. No one knows what will really happen."

"I agree," Lucia smiled. "Whoever's calling the shots here works in mysterious ways, no?"

"You're right," Kiera nodded. "Only time will tell." She turned to look at the Keyhole before them, a firm look on her face. "But I do know one thing is for sure. I'll continue to look for Bailey and the others, King Mickey too, no matter how long it takes me."

 _ **PLEASE REVIEW!**_


	20. Chapter 19

_**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS!**_

 **Naylene, Lilianna, Lucia, Kieran, Rayna, Claire, Renee, Zeke, Sienna, Jeanne, Melanie, and Charel are my OC characters from my Final Fantasy Stories!**

 **Yes, I plan on pairing Alana and Sora together, sorry if you guys like the Sora/Kairi thing. But just like with Riku and Kiera, Sora and Alana's relationship will progress over all the games. Sorry if you guys are mad!**

 **This Chapter is for you, Lilith! I brought some friends for you :3**

 _ **Chapter Nineteen**_

 _ **Support Behind Enemy Lines, Part 1**_

 **Keira looked at all of the remainders of the Worlds that the heartless had destroyed.** She felt her heart as it ached, and she wanted to make it stop. Wanted to make it go away.

She had been taken back to Traverse Town after the fight with the Behemoth. She wanted to round up the others the moment that she got back and head off after Ansem but Leon forced her to rest. Alana had tackled the girl to the ground the moment that she laid eyes on her and both made Leon apologize to Geoffrey, leaving the hardest part for last.

Kairi.

Kiera was still wary of the other girl, especially after hearing that she had been saved, but when they had met, there was a feeling in her chest that made her sure that what they had been thinking was true. Kairi was the sister she had lost all those years ago. The final confirmation was the fact that Kairi knew the tune to the lullaby that Bailey used to sing to them.

She had wanted to spend more time with Kairi but in the end she decided not to. It all just felt too…weird. They had been apart for so long, she didn't know what to do or what to talk about. She swore that after all this was over she and Kairi would sit down and have a long, long talk; about everything.

"Gawrsh, is that all that's left of the worlds taken by the Heartless?" Goofy sounded shocked as they stared at the vacant area around them. There were just…land blocks that seemed to float there before them, leading a path to the large pool of light off in the distance.

"my guess is yes," Alana replied.

"Those worlds will be restored if we beat Ansem, right?" Sora asked.

"You betcha." Donald tried to lighten up the mood but it wasn't happening.

"But, if we do beat him and all the worlds become restored and disconnected, what's going to happen to this place? And to us?"

"Considering that this world was created by the Heartless, it will most likely disappear," Geoffrey was the one that answered this time. "Our Hearts were strong enough to endure the destruction of our previous worlds so I have no doubt that we'll be fine. Just have faith and everything will work out."

"You're right," Sora nodded. "Everyone, let's go!"

The Heartless that they encountered here were the strongest to date. Alana found herself silently thanking whatever gods there were that helped Leon convince them to rest a few more days before going off to fight again. She wouldn't have made it if they were exhausted like they had been during the exploits at Hollow Bastion. She almost didn't make it through the fight with Ansem there, even if he was in Riku's body. She couldn't lie; she was extremely worried about fighting him again. Apparently Ansem had taken over Riku completely and gotten his body back. If that added anything to his power, then…

"I wonder where that Ansem feller went?" Goofy commented, glancing around the dark area they were about to travel through.

"Dive into the most dangerous place and we'll find him!" Donald replied.

"Sadly, that's true," Alan sighed, hanging her head. "I wonder if this is how Selia and the others felt ten years ago?"

"I'm sure," Geoffrey nodded.

"Let's go," Kiera made the first step onto a portal of light, sending them straight into a battle with Heartless in the Third District of Traverse Town.

Apparently these portals were leading them through all the worlds that they had saved before now; they were forcing out what was left of the Heartless in those worlds; at least, that's what Sora wanted to believe. It was a nice thought that kept him confident as they continued on.

"Don't move."

They didn't run into anything stranger until they were in Neverland again. Everything had been going smoothly until Geoffrey felt a blade pressed against the back of his neck. Everyone turned at the voice and Alana felt a frown spread across her face. She was happy to find out that their new guests weren't Heartless or Ansem, but two people in armor. She was annoyed that no one had been able to sense them. They had just snuck up on them like shadows.

The one that held the blade against Geoffrey's neck was a young man with tanned skin, purple eyes, and matching hair that was spiked and swept back from his face. His armor was black and trimmed with gold, a red cape hanging from his shoulders as his right hand gripped a curved sword.

Beside him stood a young woman, wearing matching armor, only it being silver instead of black and her cape was blue. Her hair was black and long, pulled into a braid that hung over her left shoulder nearly to her waist. Her bangs were swept to the left side, covering half of her face, as one green eye was visible and staring at the group as her sword stayed sheathed at her side.

"Who are you guys?" Sora demanded.

"I don't think they're Heartless," Donald pointed out.

"Heartless?" The man repeated, his sword never faltering. "Is that what you call these creatures?"

"You mean you don't know?" Kiera raised a brow at him. "Do you even know where you are?"

"If we knew, we wouldn't have asked," The man told them. "I take it that you do, though. Enlighten us."

"Hold your tongue, Leon," The woman hissed at him but her eyes were still set on the group before them. "You'll explain everything to Naylene," The woman told them.

"Naylene?" Sora watched as the man, Leon, gave a sigh and hung his head for a moment. It worrie him. "Is that your boss? How many of you are there?"

The woman glared at him before turning with a swoosh of her cape, heading for the portal to lead them back to the dark caves they were previously traveling through.

"Not much of a talker, apparently," Kiera commented.

"She never has been. "I suggest you don't try to run," Leon told them, sheathing his sword with a smile. "Lilianna nor Naylene will refrain from killing you if you do."

Alana felt a shiver go down her spine as Geoffrey frowned, backing away from the armored duo. "I say we do what they want for now."

"Not much else we can do, really," Goofy sighed.

"Just stay on guard." Kiera told them before moving to follow Lilianna through the portal.

Everything was awkwardly silent as the group was led through the dark caves they were forced to travel through. Lilianna stayed silent while Leon tried to lighten the mood as much as he could. He had Sora, Donald, and Goofy laughing, Alana giving a chuckle here and there, but Kiera and Geoffrey kept their faces tense, ready for anything.

Kiera was expecting to be led into a camp full of more armored soldiers, and said she found just a single woman. There was no doubt though that this said woman carried with her a lot of power.

She was just in armor herself, this time and Golden blue, the colors making her own blue eyes shine even brighter than the fire that lit up the area. Her amethyst hair was cut in a jagged angle around her face, framing it. A sword was strapped to her waist and blue lipstick rested on her lips. The smile that she wore as she turned to greet them was the very image of ferocity.

This was, in doubt, Naylene.

"And what have we here?" The woman in gold smiled.

"They were sneaking around in the portals," Lilianna answered. "The one with the ship."

"Do you think they're the ones behind all this?" The young man asked.

"Children, Leon?" The new woman chuckled. "Highly doubtful. Their power can't rival yours and Lilianna's, let alone our Emperor's."

Alana raised a brow. "Just who are you? How did you get here?"

"Our world was lost to us and here is where we awoke," Naylene answered again. "Is it not the same for you?"

"Well, it's a similar story," Kiera admitted. "Different, but similar."

"What are four children doing here?" Naylene decided to ask. "Surely you don't hope to fight all them on your own, do you?"

"Considering we've gotten this far, I think we're doing pretty good for a 'group of children'."

"These creatures do not fall easily," Lilianna stepped forward to talk again. "I highly doubt your strength is better than our own. How have you made it this far without being hurt?"

Kiera and Sora both turned to look at Geoffrey as Alana clapped a hand over both Donald and Goofy's mouths.

Geoffrey stared at all three that stood before them, his face firm. "Why should we tell you anything? How do we know you're not the enemy, too? How do we know you're not working for Ansem or Maleficent and just trying to trick us?"

Naylene's smile never faltered, the frown stayed on Lilianna's face, but the confused look on Leon's face announced to the group that they had no idea who they were talking about.

"I don't care if you're not working with them or not," Kiera growled. "You'll get nothing out of holding us captive so let us be on our way and we'll let you…do whatever the hell it is you're doing here."

"You remind me of Elayne," Naylene commented with a chuckle, stepping closer to Kiera. "Younger, but definitely a similar personality. Tell me," She leaned down a bit to level her face with hers. "How would you like to join the Empire of Palamecia?"

Leon stared at Naylene with wide eyes as Lilianna just closed her eyes, as if used to this.

"Palamecia?" Kiera repeated. "Is that your world?"

"It's our Empire. Such promising soldiers are hard to come by there. Not many can handle to brutal training. Something tells me that you could."

"I think not," Alana grabbed Kiera's shoulder and pulled the younger teen behind her. "Besides, she's got her own Kingdom to worry about."

"Does she now?" Naylene straightened up again. "So…she's a princess."

"So what if she is?" Sora asked, stepping up beside Alana. He didn't know what it was, but he was getting a strange feeling from these three. Something felt…off here.

"I'm afraid that we're terribly busy here, so I must give our goodbyes," Geoffrey told them. "We're already wasted enough time here." He turned to lead the way away from the trio but Lilianna stepped in front of him, blocking the exit. "So, that's how it's going to be, is it?"

"Answer our questions and we'll consider letting you go." Naylene answered him. "Refuse and, well…"

Kiera and Sora gave a growl, their Keyblades forming in their hands. "Just try it!"

Naylene's eyes lit up in excitement as Lilianna and Leon both drew their swords. The older woman did nothing but stare with that smile on her face.

"What manner of magic is this? Key-shaped blades? How much damage could they do?" She cupped her chin thoughtfully. "Then again, entrance and departure both into and out of the body could do quite the number on a body. The wound would definitely be more life threatening then that of a normal sword if placed in the right area of the body. Infuse that with magic, any magic, really, and it's quite useful. Or even,"

Kiera and Sora exchanged looks with each other as the woman continued to mumble about different ways to kill people with the Keyblade. They had stumbled on quite the character.

"That's enough, Naylene."

A deep voice sounded through the area, making the group freeze in this spot. There was another person here, obviously watching them this entire time. How was it possible? How could they not notice this person as well? This group was highly dangerous.

Naylene turned to the large boulder behind her, giving a bow. "Of course, My Lord."

All eyes followed to find a fourth form sitting there on a ledge above the fire, his form completely unnoticed until now as the fire lit up his face.

It was a man with long, golden hair and purple eyes that glittered in the fire. He was dressed in navy blue robes with yellow octastar arrangements with curved spines near the shoulders and back, spined fasteners on the front and four, massive curved shoulder ornaments. Gauntlets resembling spiders rested on his arms with long fingernails painted black with golden lines and a pair of rings sat on his left hand.

There was no denying the air this man held about him; power and dignity; royalty.

"You stand before the Emperor of Palamecia," Lilianna's voice came out in a harsh, cold tone. "Bow."

The Emperor raised a hand. "It's not needed." His eyes were trained on Kiera. "You. You're the one that woman was talking about, aren't you? The Princess that holds the 'Key' to saving the lost worlds."

"What woman?" Geoffrey asked.

"Not long at all, three others passed through," Leon was the one to answer. "Their leader, it seems, claimed that the only one to save our world was in the hands of a princess with a key and her companions."

"These people," Geoffrey continued. "Were they in hooded jackets, hiding their face?"

"That's right," Leon nodded. "I take it you do know them."

"I think so."

The blond closed his eyes. "They asked that we give them time to defeat this…Ansem, they called him, before we continued forward on our own to fight him ourselves. Said that we would be useless without this 'key'."

"But why would a child have this?" Kiera did a double take. Naylene had taken the Keyblade from her without any of them noticing; she found herself seeing Riku and Sora in Traverse Town all over again; had it been that long already?

"Interesting," Naylene mumbled as the Keyblade return to Kiera's hand. "Very interesting." She glanced Sora. "And I suppose that yours will do just the same, yes?"

"That's right."

"Tell me," the Emperor opened his eyes again. "Your friends were vague in any explanation. Just what is happening? Why was my home over run with these…fiends?"

Alana looked at Geoffrey in questioning. The young man sighed and gave in, explaining to the four before them all he knew about the Heartless, how the world's heart had been corroded, and what Ansem was trying to do. All four of them listened in silence, not asking a word as the tale was told.

"And so the fate of all worlds rest with the two of you?" Lilianna glared at Sora and Kiera. "Preposterous."

"You saw as well as I did how easily they destroyed the Heartless back there," Leon countered. "Surely there is truth to this story. Besides, we've seen just how strong a child can be, have we not?"

Lilianna gave a scoff and turned her head.

"So, you plan on going after the trio, do you?" Naylene placed a hand on her hip. "Do you deem it wise? From what I acquired, this Ansem you face is strong. Do you really believe you'll be able to take him on? If he's strong enough to take over all these worlds like you say her has, are you comfortable with going with only six of you? Nine, if those others are not dead? He could have countless Heartless waiting for you."

"Is that an offer of joining us?" Sora asked her.

Naylene gave a laugh. "I think not; not unless my Lord orders it."

"I do not." Came the man's answer from the ledge above.

"There you go."

"What help you guys are." Donald stomped a foot.

"Can you really give us back our world?" Leon looked at Sora and Kiera.

Both nodded together. "We've already saved plenty. Give us a chance to prove we can help you."

Leon glanced at the Emperor. "We follow your orders, My Lord."

The golden man stared at the group below him, his eyes hard as he thought things over in his head. Kiera found herself holding her breath as the seconds seemed to drag. Finally, his mouth twitched into a small smirk and he took a breath to speak when the ground began to shake beneath them and they all turned to see fire shooting out of a huge Volcano. From the fire came a large black form, demonic like with wings and fangs, his lower body still stuck inside the mountain.

"So, the Chernabog came back after all," Naylene commented.

"A friend of yours?" Alana asked.

"He attacked the other three earlier but one of them did something to force him back in his mountain again. Apparently, the spell has worn off," Leon commented.

The Emperor glided down from the ledge he sat on. His eyes trained on the large beast before them.

Naylene cocked a brow. "Mateus?"

The man tossed his hand out to the side and a scepter materialized in it. It was golden with a set of orbs at the top, curved spikes on top of them and two prongs at the center.

"Go," Mateus told them. "We'll handle this. If you can really give me back my world, then do so. Just remember, should we meet again, I shall not let you go so easily."

"Lilianna, Leon, let's go!" Naylene smiled wolfishly as she pulled out her own blade.

"Charming," Alana grunted as they turned to leave these four to the Chernabog.

"I like him," Kiera smiled. "He reminds me of Bailey."

"Should we really leave them by themselves?" Goofy asked as the group ran, the sound of fighting followed them.

"I think they know what they're doing," Geoffrey assured him. "I just hope we don't run into them again after all this is over. We might not be able to fight them off if they decide to question us again."

"I second that," Kiera nodded. "I don't know who would be stronger; that guy or Sephiroth."

"You've never even met Sephiroth so you can't go around saying that," Alana scolded the younger teen. ~Though I have to admit that she might be right.~

Kiera was about to open her mouth and tell them about the run-in she had last time they were at the Coliseum but closed her mouth. Perhaps right now wasn't the best time to reveal that she had been stalking them and run into Hades.

They ran, the sound of the fight against the Chernabog being left behind as they dodged more Heartless.

"What I'm more interested in is the trio they were talking about," Sora commented. "Do you think it's the same ones that helped us in Hollow Bastion?"

"Hollow Bastion?" Kiera cocked a brow as their running came to a stop. "What are you talking about?"

Geoffrey frowned as they came to a door; Sora stared at it in awe. "We'll fill you in later."

"Could this lead us to Ansem?" Donald asked.

"Only one way to find out." Alana placed a hand on the door and pushed, shoving it open, light pouring out over all of them.

 _ **PLEASE REVIEW!**_


	21. Chapter 20

_**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS!**_

 **Naylene, Lilianna, Lucia, Kieran, Rayna, Claire, Renee, Zeke, Sienna, Jeanne, Melanie, and Charel are my OC characters from my Final Fantasy Stories!**

 **I knew you'd be happy to see Mateus and the others!**

 _ **Chapter Twenty**_

 _ **Support Behind Enemy Lines, Part 2**_

" **It's…my island."**

"You mean this is where you're from?" Alana glanced around the island, taking in the sand and the water. She had never seen a beach before. It seemed…peaceful.

"Yeah," He nodded. "This is definitely it." But if his island had been destroyed by darkness, how was it here now? Hollow Bastion only stood because they couldn't find the Keyhole without the Princess' of Heart, it wasn't the same for his island. The Heartless had won here, so how?

" _This world has been connected."_

"What was that?" Goofy cried as parts of the island began to disappear and shake and change.

" _Tied to the darkness… Soon to be completely eclipsed. There is so very much to learn. You understand so little. A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing."_

The island was now cracked and corrupt with darkness spreading everywhere. Over on the shore stood Riku's form, staring out over the dark water. Sora wasted no time rushing to his friend but it wasn't Riku's voice that exited the mouth; it was Ansem's.

"Take a look at this tiny place. To the heart seeking freedom this island is a prison surrounded by water. And so this boy sought out to escape from his prison. He sought a way to cross over into other worlds and he open his heart to darkness." Riku turned to face, Ansem taking his true form now.

"Riku!" Sora growled, reaching out.

Ansem shook his head. "Don't bother. Your voice can no longer reach him where he is. His heart belongs again to the darkness. All worlds begin to darkness, and also end. The heart is no different. Darkness sprouts within, it grows, consumes it. Such is its nature. In the end, every heart returns to the darkness whence it came." He moved, placing himself behind the group. "You see, darkness is the heart's true essence."

"That's not true!" Sora called out. "The heart may be weak, and sometimes it may even give in, but I've learned that deep down there's a light that never goes out!"

Ansem shook his head before beginning to float from the ground, staring down at the group before him in disappointment. "So, you have come this far and still you understand nothing. Every light must fade, every heart return to darkness!" A monstrous creature appeared behind Ansem, making everyone grip their weapons.

"All right, I'm sick of you, you bastard," Geoffrey lifted his hand, summoning his lance again. "I didn't get a chance at you at Hollow Bastion, so allow me the chance to pummel you twofold."

Ansem gave a sneer. "You're welcome to try."

The group attacked Ansem and his guardian stuck close together but the creature would get distracted by constant attacks from Donald and Alana, leaving Ansem open from attacks from the others. Alana wanted nothing more than to help defeat Ansem but they couldn't do so with his pet hovering over him and healing him so she made it her personal mission to kill this thing first before joining in to help the others.

Geoffrey knew that this fight was going to be difficult but Ansem's stamina was just ridiculous; and that cocky smirk that was glued to his face didn't help with his anger. He had learned some of his battle tactics from Alana since they had their fight at Hollow Bastion but having not watched the battle himself he felt at a bit of a lost and had to create a strategic plan that worked around the others. Kiera was doing the same while keeping an eye on Sora as he remanded over and over for Ansem to return Riku to them.

It wasn't really working.

Ansem floated off again a while later just in time to dodge bits of the island as more of it fell to pieces, giving into the darkness. Ansem and his pet were waiting on them again though, that infuriating smirk on his face still.

"You bastard!" Geoffrey roared, rushing forward as he twirled his lance. Sora followed right after him but when the others tried, something blocked them, leaving Geoffrey and Sora alone to face the large, black giant heartless that pulled itself up out of the ground before them, separating them from Ansem again.

"Dammit!" Alana banged on the force blocking them. "Not again!" She remembered this from Hollow Bastion. Geoffrey had been on the other side then, though. "We have to find a way through!"

The giant was taken down in merely minutes, leaving Geoffrey and Sora to fight Ansem on their own as the others tried to get through the shield again.

"This guy's strong," Sora panted, favoring his left foot. He had landed on it wrong after Ansem had knocked him aside.

"Not giving up yet, are you?" Geoffrey teased from behind gritted teeth.

Sora had to pause for a moment; he had sounded just like Riku there.

"Of course not! I'm just getting started!"

Geoffrey grinned. "Then let's make this bastard regret messing with us!"

Geoffrey couldn't lie; Sora had impressed him. For a teen who had never been in a real fight before arriving in Traverse Town, the young teen had caught on very well. He was a natural, as Alana liked to tell him. Despite not having a lot of experience, he had come so far, holding his own and then some. Geoffrey was proud of him; very much so. Was this the same type of pride that Lucient felt when he had trained him and Kieran? Did Leon and Lucia feel this pride towards Alana and Kiera?

A roar erupted as Sora and Geoffrey's combined attacks landed a deadly blow on Ansem and everything around them changed into a dark abyss. The shield was released, allowing the others to join the duo again, all on high alert. If they weren't careful they could very well die here.

"Sora!" Alana reached out and grabbed the young boy's arm as they all floated in a dark fog. Geoffrey grabbed Donald and Kiera latched to Goofy, making sure that if they were separated then they'd at least be with someone. No one wanted to be alone against this enemy.

"Behold the endless abyss!" Ansem's voice rang all around them. "Within it lies the heart of all worlds: Kingdom Hearts!" There, before them, not floated a patch of land with a large, white door on it. "Look as hard as you are able. You'll not find even the smallest glimmer of light. From those dark depths are all hearts born. Even yours. Darkness conquers all worlds!"

In a blink of an eye, the strangest place appeared before them. It was a strange, living creature, like a mix of Monstro and Oogey Boogey's Manner.

A force then grabbed them all, ripping them off into separate directions. Everything was spinning out of control but Alana and Sora kept a firm grip on each other as they fell, refusing to let go. It was a matter of life and death now, and only the weak gave in. Alana refused to. She had to think of a way to-

"Not so fast!"

Alana's eyes widened at the voice moments before something caught her foot. Lifting her head, Sora hanging to her hands, she stared at the form that floated above them. She couldn't believe it.

"It's you again!"

"Yep! It's me!" It was the white, hooded form from Hollow Bastion, the one that had helped her with Ansem before. "Ya'll went to Neverland, right? Then you should know how to fly. You're gonna need it here."

"We can fly here?" Sora sounded shocked.

"That's right. This is gonna get nasty so I hope you guys are ready for the worst. Go ahead and try it." She watched in silence as Sora and Alana were able to start floating and dropped Alana's leg so they could move up next to her. "See?"

"Why do you keep helping us?" Alana demanded. "What do you want?"

"There was a soft chuckle. "We want our homes and loved ones back. That's not so wrong, is it?"

Alana turned her head as Sora gave a soft smile at her. He could understand why she was being cautious. But for right now they were going to need all the help they could get. She had helped against Ansem before so he would trust her; for now.

"You were one of the three that Mateus and the others told us about, right? The ones that came ahead of us?"

"That's right," The woman nodded, her voice light and chuckling. "If we had time I would have stayed and played with that Emperor a bit more but I'm afraid that woman would have eaten me alive if I even attempted to flirt with him. Such is my fate, though," She lifted her hand to her head in a dramatic pose before dropping it again. "So, are you ready to end this?"

Giving a frim nod, Sora tried to see inside her hood but no matter how close her got or haw hard he stared he could see nothing but a black hole. Was it some kind of magic that she was using to do that? Was her identity really that important?

"What's your name? Sora asked her. "We can't keep calling you Hooded, can we?"

"No, I suppose not," She seemed to think hard for a minute. "You can call me Xeilas." That was a strange name, no doubt. "Now," She turned and pointed at the top of the strange structure. "We gotta take care of that bastard before we can get the others," A large form of Ansem was connected by tentacles, holding that strange Keyblade Riku had held.

"Jesus, he's ugly," Alana growled, gripping her blade tightly. "So ugly it should be considered a sin!"

Sora shook his head as Alana took off at the large form alone before following her with a determined look. Xeilas shook her own head, frozen for a moment as she watched the young woman begin her attack.

"You'll never change, Alana," She sighed to herself, trying not to laugh. "I suppose that's my fault, though. Then again, I'd rather you be like me than like anyone else…"

Xeilas lifted her right hand and a sword materialized there, it's hand a bright white with a blue jewel that matched her heart-shaped locks on her jacket. From the handle hung a Green Wayfinder, the glass charm shining brightly. She stared at it for a moment before closing her eyes.

"Just a little longer, Ven."

A roar sounded and Alana watched as Xeilas zoomed past her, dodging past Ansem's attacks and striking his face with repeated blows. Ansem went to swat the hooded woman away but she gave off a cry, a wave of energy radiating from her body and knocking his arms away as she resumed her attacks. Alana wore a huge grin and zoomed in to help, Sora right behind her. The duo followed Xeilas' lead, attacking when she attacked and retreated when she did. Alana found herself getting more and more amazed with this strange woman's abilities and more and more sure that she was…

 _ **~You're giving me too many things  
Lately you're all I need  
You smiled at me and said,**_ _**Don't get me wrong I love you  
But does that mean I have to meet your father?  
When we are older you'll understand  
What I meant when I said no,  
I don't think life is quite that simple~**_

" **He wants to pick us off one by one and so he separated us** ," Geoffrey commented, setting Donald down.

The two of them had been sent to a black void, the Symbol of the Heartless shining blue on the floor. Many Heartless had already attacked them but the duo were holding their own, fighting them off until a bright stone shone. Destroying that freed them from the black void, forcing them to fight the strange face of this structure. Geoffrey had been fast to tap into the ability to fly and had grabbed Donald so the duck wouldn't fall before he could tap into his own.

"Sora and Alana are up there, but where are Goofy and Kiera?" The duck had pointed to the large battle that was happening towards the top of this strange structure and Alana's battle cries were loud enough to reach their ears.

"I'm sure they're around," Geoffrey frowned at the face that glared at them. "If we destroy this…ship, we'll weaken Ansem."

Donald looked at him. "Are you sure?"

"Not really, but what else do we have to go on?" Geoffrey began to spin his lance with a firm look. "We have to do something."

"But…but how? It's so…"

"Stand strong," A voice made the duo turn. Geoffrey's eyes widened. "The end is not far. Don't let your guard down."

"It's you again."

"You helped with Maleficent!" Donald cried, pointing a finger.

"Indeed. You may call me Xientclu, but now is not the time for introductions. True heroes face danger even when they're afraid." He summoned up a lance of his own, double sided with blue gems crawling up the side of it like vines. "This is the first step to saving everyone; let's make it count."

Geoffrey wanted to talk to this man some more, to make sure that he was who he thought he was, but right now was not the time. They had something more important to do; he could get all answers later.

"Donald, are you ready?"

"Let's go get 'em!"

Xientclu watched as Donald and Geoffrey rushed to unleash a barrage of attacks on the Face of the structure, a small smile gracing his lips.

"You've grown so strong, little Geo. You kept your promise. Now it's time for me to keep mine."

A rain of fire shot past Geoffrey and Donald, forcing the duo to retreat a bit as the face roared in pain and began to shoot black balls of mist at them. Xientclu swiped the darkness aside with his lance, raising his hand to release more fire before leading in on another physical attack. Donald followed his lead with the fire balls and remained back as Geoffrey joined the other lance wielder, falling in sync with him just like he had back when they fought Maleficent together. A smile graced Geoffrey's face. He had no doubts anymore. He was sure this man was…

 _ **~The daily things  
(like this and that and what, what)  
That keep us all busy  
All confusing me  
That's when you came to me and said,**_ _**Wish I could prove I love you  
But does that mean I have to walk on water?  
When we are older you'll understand  
It's enough when I say so,  
And maybe somethings are that simple~**_

" **What the hell is this?"** Kiera demanded, staring at the structure around them.

She and Goofy had been blasted into the creature. It reminded her of being inside of Monstro; the very thought of that just made her want to puke. They stood before what appeared to be the heart of this creature. Just outside they could see Sora and Alana fighting a large form of Ansem with a white-hooded person, and barely made out Geoffrey and Donald fighting with another hooded form against the large face at the front of it.

"This looks like the heart of the structure!" Goofy said happily. "If we destroy this then we can help the others and defeat Ansem for good!"

"You are correct."

The voice made the duo turn to find a familiar form standing behind them. Kiera recognized the voice coming from behind the dark hood instantly.

"Xebliya!" Kiera cried out, running towards the older woman. "When Naylene told us that three hooded forms came to fight Ansem, I knew it was you!"

"I had feared that Ansem would prove to be too much for you but it seems that I was wrong," Xebliya admitted. "the three of us were not needed after all."

"Needed or not," Kiera began to scold her. "You're here so let's work together. With stronger people this will be over faster!"

Xebliya chuckled. "Your enthusiasm is heartwarming, but don't get too cocky. There could be some tricks up Ansem's sleeves. He's a cunning man; believe me."

"You've met before all of this?" Goofy sounded surprised.

"Whether or not we have is irrelevant. What matters now is his defeat."

"Agreed," Kiera nodded, regripping her Keyblade. "Let's go get him, Goofy!"

"Right behind ya, Kiera!"

As the duo charged towards the Heart of the Artillery, Xebliya watched with a smile. The child had definitely grown over the course of this hard and trying journey.

"Such a pure heart. She holds the same power that you did, Bailey. Just like you, she will be able to control both darkness and light; if she keeps on the right path. I will do all that I can to do just that. We cannot let them get their hands on her."

Turning from the duo as they attacked the heart, Xebliya lifted a hand and shot ice at all the Artillery around them, refusing to let their counter attacks affect or reach Kiera and Goofy as they brought about the final destruction of the large structure that Ansem had created.

 _ **~When you walk away  
You don't hear me say please  
Oh baby, don't go  
Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight  
It's hard to let it go**_ _**Hold me  
Whatever lies beyond this morning  
Is a little later on  
Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all  
Nothing's like before~**_

 **With the group reunited, all nine of them faced Ansem's large form a final time together.** His strength was ridiculous, even with them all, and he seemed to be one step ahead of them. Poor Donald and Goofy held on for as long as they could but Xebliya ordered them to step aside, ordering Donald to heal from afar as Goofy blocked whatever magic Ansem used to try and take them out. Xebliya stayed back as well, only using magic to fight Ansem, leaving the others to rush in for more physical blows. They all jumped around like fleas, hitting the man brutally until the structure began to explode and Ansem retreated from it. Flying out of the way of the explosion, Sora barely had time to catch his breath before Ansem appeared again in his usual form, anger clear on his face.

Breathing hard, Kiera and Sora stood side by side, baring their Keyblades at the man as the others stood around them, waiting for his next move. His eyes moved over them all, his glare settling on Xebliya the longest, before he tried to regain his composure and brushed the hair from his face.

"It is futile. The Keyblades alone cannot seal the door to darkness," He turned from the group, reaching a hand out towards the door behind him. "Kingdom Hearts! Fill me with the power of darkness…supreme darkness!"

The white doors began to open, a black fog spreading from it. Xebliya placed a hand on Sora's shoulder and leaned down to whisper something in his ear. His eyes grew wide before he moved forward, determination on his face.

"You're wrong," He told him. "I know now, without a doubt. Kingdom Hearts… Is light!"

As if on cue, the dark fog turned into a bright light, making everyone shield their eyes. Ansem looked shocked beyond belief.

"What? Light? But…Why?"

Kiera had to shield her eyes from the light and could only listen as Ansem cried out as the light died down. Opening her eyes again, Kiera felt a frown pull on her lips. Ansem was gone, leaving just that white door that was barely open.

"They're gone," Alana looked around for Xebliya, Xeilas, and Xientclu. "Why did they leave?"

"They just came to help defeat Ansem," Geoffrey answered. "They have secrets of their own. You didn't really think they'd stick around, did you? It's never that easy."

No, it's not," Alana hung her head.

"Come on!" Sora called out. "We've got to shut the door!"

"Stop staring a keep pushing!" Donald ordered Goofy before giving a cry. Keira chanced a look into the door and found thousands of Heartless forming and staring to make their way to the door.

"Push harder, guys!" Alana growled, shoving against the doors with Donald and Goofy. Geoffrey did the same with the other door with Kiera and Sora but they didn't want to budge.

"They're too heavy!" Sora growled.

"Don't give up!" A voice made them falter and Kiera jumped as another hand appeared by her face, pulling the door shut from the other side. She looked up in shock. Riku gave them a smile. "Come on! Together, we can do it!"

"But-but if we close it with you inside," Kiera faltered, stopping her pushing as Riku pulled. "If you're still inside you'll never get out! We can't do that!"

"Don't worry!" A high voice called from behind Riku. "There will always be a door to the light!"

"Your Majesty!" Goofy and Donald both called out as a mouse popped up, defeating Heartless with a Keyblade of his own.

"Sora, Kiera, let's close this door for good!" Mickey called.

"But," Kiera and Sora exchanged looks.

"You can trust King Mickey," Goofy told the duo.

"Now!" Riku called to Mickey. "They're coming!"

The mouse turned with a final smile. "Donald, Goofy, thank you."

"Kiera," Riku calling her name made her glance up. He wore a sad smile. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "Hurry up and find a way out so I can beat you up for it later."

He chuckled before looking at Sora now. "Take care of her; both of them."

With a firm nod to his friend, Sora gave a final shove, closing the door. Together, Sora and Kiera pulled out their Keyblades, locking the door to Kingdom Hearts, leaving Mickey and Riku trapped on the other side. The doors disappeared, leaving a long, white trail behind it that led off into the darkness.

Kiera watched as Sora stood there in silence, most likely relieving memories with Riku and their island. She couldn't stand it and yanked her to him, holding his close. She felt like crying but she held them back. She had to believe that Mickey and Riku would be fine. She had set out to find Bailey and Selia and Lucient but now she had two new people to help find. She had to be strong.

Over Kiera's shoulder, Sora saw Kairi standing there, somehow, looking surprised and lost.

"Kairi!" Sora let go of Kiera and ran towards her, grasping her hand. The land she was standing on was sand from their island and it was pulling her away.

"Sora!"

"Kairi, remember what you said before? I'm always with you, too. I'll come back to you. I promise!"

Kairi felt her tears swell up. "I know you will!"

Their hands were forced apart as Kairi was pulled further away. Sora kept calling to her, assuring her that everything would be okay, but his voice was lost as bright lights began to fall around them and Destiny Island began to pop up around her again.

Kiera ran forward herself, determined to say something before the sister she had lost so long ago was once again forced away from her.

"He's not the only one! Next time, we'll meet as sisters!" Kiera called to her. "We've got some major catching up to do!"

Kairi waved her arms as she began to disappear; apparently, she had heard that. "I'll be waiting!"

Dropping her own arms, Kiera hung her head until Alana slung an arm around her neck, pulling her close. She gave her a soft smile before returning her hug. They still had a long way to go before everything was back to normal. A long, long way.

"What do we do now?" Sora asked, looking at Geoffrey. He had been talking to Goofy and Donald, obviously talking about getting a few days of rest before their next course of action.

"The only thing we can do," The older teen turned and looked at the white road that had been behind Kingdom Hearts. "We continue on; together."

 _ **PLEASE REVIEW!**_


	22. Epilogue

_**I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS!**_

 **Lucia, Kieran, Rayna, Claire, Renee, Zeke, Sienna, Jeanne, Melanie, and Charel are my OC characters from my Final Fantasy Stories!**

 ** _Epilogue_**

 ** _Never A Dull Moment_**

 **The sun was bright in the sky, things peaceful as the group of six walked down a dirt road.** It had been nearly a week since their battle with Ansem. They had followed the strange path that was revealed after the door to Kingdom Hearts was locked and this was where it led them.

Things were silent between them, Kiera scribbling away in her book, Sora with his hands behind his head. Alana was trying, a failing, to polish her sword as they walked, and Geoffrey kept his eyes open for any enemies as Donald and Goofy leisurely walked beside them.

"Well, now what do we do?" Donald asked finally, unable to stand the silence any longer.

"We've gotta find Riku and King Mickey," Sora answered. "As well as Bailey and the others, too."

"But, uh, where do we start lookin' for that there door to the light?" Goofy asked. "And weren't not even sure Bailey and the others are there with them, ya know?"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy all stopped and sighed.

Alana chuckled and Kiera smiled as they passed them. "We start searching, that's all."

"Mickey was the one that came to Bailey at Radiant Garden in the first place. If they're not together then I have no doubt he'll at least know something. That and if Xebliya and the others show up, we can get answers from them. The next time I see one of those hooded bastards I'm not letting them go," Geoffrey answered.

"Yeah, it was kind of a dick move for them to just disappear like that," Kiera agreed. "Come fight Ansem and then poof? I have a feeling that they know a lot more than we think; a lot more."

"Even if they do, there's nothing that we can do about it now," Alana gave a sigh as her sword disappeared. "All we can do now is search, so-" Her voice stopped, as did her feet, when a yellow dog happily trotted out in front of her. "What the-"

"Pluto?" Donald cried out.

"He yours?" Alana asked the duck.

"He belongs to the king."

"How the hell did he get out here?"

"That's the king's seal!" Goofy cried, noticing the letter the dog held in his mouth.

Kiera gave a frown. "How convenient."

Sora leaned forward. "Have you seen King Mickey?"  
Pluto's answer was to turn and run off, leaving them to chase after him.

Alana, Geoffrey, and Kiera stared after the other three as they began the chase with laughter and smiles.

"Are you kidding me?" Alana's shoulders drooped. "Don't these guys ever take a break?"

"At least their spirits aren't gone," Geoffrey chuckled.

"Stop acting like old grannies, you two!" Kiera giggled, taking off after them.

"Not you too, Kiera," Alana groaned again.

"Guys, let's go!" Sora cried back for them, laughter ringing in the air.

Geoffrey butted Alana's side with his elbow. "Shall we?"

Alana shook her head as he began running as well. "Never a dull moment, is there?" She rolled her neck before taking off after them all. "Wait for me!"

 _ **PLEASE REVIEW!**_


	23. Until Next Time

And so the Second Story of Kingdom Hearts is complete. Thank you guys so much for sticking around and reading this, despite how long it took.

I do plan on continuing with Chain of Memories next but first I have to replay it before I even think about writing it so give me a little while. Save this to your favorites and I'll post an update when it's out!

A special shoutout to LilithArtist, you who reads so much of my stuff and gives me so much support, I thank you!

Another shoutout to Light Seeker 001, D.J. Scales, and Tashasaurous as well for sticking with it since the beginning. I'm glad you all liked it!

Until the next journey, guys! I'll see you in Castle Oblivion soon!


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